


The Rogue Cipher

by SimplyTsundere



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cybernetic Eren, Cybernetic Jean, Cybernetic Krista, Cybernetics, Cyborgs, Eren Is a Cybernet, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Forensic Behavorist Levi, Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager Friendship, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) is a Tease, Levi and Eren have shitty childhoods, M/M, Military Backstory, Military Experiments, Past Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Psychologist Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Religious Cult, Soldier Eren, Theyre best buds, abusive childhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-03-01 21:56:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 48,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13304106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyTsundere/pseuds/SimplyTsundere
Summary: In a time of military experiments with cybernetic technology, Eren Jaeger finds himself implanted with a cipher, a form of artificial intelligence. Eren was a cybernetic soldier deemed monster, a cyborg freak, and a monstrosity. Life hasn't been easy since the exit from the military. Spending time as project zero for the experiments at the hand of his father, Eren was prepared for the backlash he faced from society. Fortunately, there was one man who found him more than a monster. Levi Ackerman, behaviorist and professor, makes Eren's acquaintance one night at a bar after saving him from a boorish drunk. While attempting to return home with Levi, Eren finds someone has come to crash their party. Levi's life must to be saved, a gunshot is fired, cops are called, trips to hospital are made, and Eren finds himself at the end of Levi's business proposal. Employment as a bodyguard to protect the son of a renowned cult leader.  Unfortunately, Eren must put aside his attraction to the man if he wishes to protect his life. Levi, however, is a firm believer that work and play can be done. Sparks of tension fly when not only Eren's past breaks free, but so does Levi's.





	1. Flirting With Danger

**Author's Note:**

> I'm super tired. I've been working all week to get you guys some of the stories from the last poll. Classes have started back, so I'm going to do my absolute best to get you new material. As I don't really know how these classes are going to treat me (who knows they may kick the teeth outta my skull) I cannot give you a for sure update schedule on the new fics. I can only say most will update at the beginning and end of every month until I get things settled up. Watch my tumblr for updates!! I always try to post there if something has come up. You can find the link in my profile here. Tentatively, my next update for this story will be on the 28th. It may be sooner, or later, but I'm trying! I'm not great at supernatural things, I just recently had my confidence in that area of my ability shot in the face, so we'll see how I can go on this one. Nonetheless, I hope that you all enjoy this! 
> 
> Also, for those religious people here, a disclaimer: I am not doing this to ridicule a religion! I've decided to use a religious cult here due to the fact it's a type of organization that I've not written before that can be just as dangerous as any other criminal syndicate. It will actually take influence from several different cults of the past, which means it combines some aspects of religious sancts. Please do not take any offense to this as it is not meant to be offensive in any means! 
> 
> ~Hugs & Kisses,  
> ❤♠Neko❤♠

"Finally home," Eren whispered to himself as he shut the door behind him. His friends had just departed the newly renovated, one bedroom, apartment. It was the first time he'd had a place of his own in civilian life so he'd had a slight get together for a housewarming. Now he was just glad to be alone. Alone time wasn't something he was entirely used to. Living with his mother for a month after coming out of the military had done just enough to allow him to find his footing in society as a cybernetic veteran but not much else. People still gave him dirty looks, some refused to be near him, and others took the more direct approach to tell him just what they thought of him. Being a military test subject for cybernetic enhancement wasn't all it was cracked up to be. People had died trying to acquire a cipher and it wasn't like having his body's nervous system rewired with nanobytes and impulse control circuitry was a walk in the fucking park.

Eren Jaeger was a 27 year old former special operations lieutenant in the military as part of Project Cipher. Having been put through the ringer at the ripe age of eight years old, Eren had unknowingly been the prototype for the project. Subjected to horrible tests and experiments at the hands of his father, Eren sat through too much that would have made any lesser person crack and teeter on the edge of mental instability. He stood proud, however, in the face of all those who stood to oppose those soldiers who'd lived through the program. Luckily, Eren had been taken as a candidate when he'd been showing exemplary skill and was over the age of 21. Then it was a simple procedure that changed his life forever. Now, thanks to Cipher he was forever linked with Rogue: the voice of the sentient AI program, called a cipher, that lingered in his head.

A small button lay hidden beneath his shaggy cinnamon hair and behind his right ear to activate Rogue should he need. At his right temple lay a small line of silver circuitry that looked to be a simple tattoo. Beneath his clothing more of the simple tattoos were scattered on his body. It made things easier for his link with Rogue, but now that he was no longer in the military it was a new thing to understand that he no longer needed to access Rogue. While true he didn’t exactly need him, Rogue was still as much a part of him as his own consciousness. A super soldier program had turned many into the elite of the elite with skills far surpassing those average, everyday soldiers but it had left it's mark. Rogue was forever a part of him and the two were inseparable....quite literally. With a base control implant at the nape of his neck, Eren couldn't rid himself of the asshole in his head even if he'd wanted to. 

Learning to navigate civilian life with Rogue was difficult. He had the highly trained, mind of a killer lurking inside his head who was only trained to assist him in the most necessary of military operations, though had always gone above and beyond for him. Being out in the open, peaceful, town meant that Rogue had no use aside from being a nosy, self righteous, asshole of a second voice inside his head. For years, he and Rogue spent their time on blacklisted missions taking out whatever came to mind. Rogue was an ally, a teacher, and a friend even if he was a fabricated piece of computer code. He'd developed his own personality, sentient thought, and even emotion. It was well enough to say there was a completely other person inside him and, well, that person was a killing machine who absolutely loathed the fact he'd taken a job as a security guard at his sister's hospital. 

He supposed he couldn't blame Rogue for that disdain. Rogue was meant for special forces not patrolling a hospital at night. Of course, as the one who controlled himself Eren had to make choices that benefited himself not the voice in his head. Without any accurate representation of cybernets, like himself, most people avoided them at all costs and blamed them for the problems within the military and the ongoing war. The domestic threat had been eradicated but overseas it was another problem and, yet, having defended the people who shunned and shamed him, Eren kept himself above it all. If someone had a problem with him then he had no problem to solve it....it didn't mean, however, that it didn't get to him. He defended his country, his people, with his life and this was the thanks he got?

It was bullshit but he knew that no matter what he had to set an example that the few that returned and had their brains scrambled were in the low percentile. Thinking on it made him sick to his stomach so he decided there was something better to do on his night off. Quickly rummaging through the packed boxes, Eren located some clothes for a decent night out. Slipping into a pair of jeans, motorcycle boots, and a leather jacket Eren gave himself a quick double check in the mirror. Turquoise eyes stared back at himself in the mirror and he began to think he didn't look so bad. He just made sure to cover his circuitry on his inside, right middle finger, right wrist, right collarbone, and right temple. The button behind his ear wasn’t as easy to hide, considering a simple sweep of his hair would uncover it, and the circuit path at his temple was normally just as well hidden by his shaggy hair. .A little bit of makeup covered the circuitry on his finger, but if he’d turned too quickly he didn’t know the type of response he’d get. Thankfully, no one would know of his past unless they got too close or he engaged Rogue who’d light him up like a citrine Christmas tree.

Going out for a drink at the local watering hole would hopefully take his mind off submitting to being a regular person. Outside he was just a normal guy there for a drink so he took a deep breath and pulled open the heavy wooden door. Taking careful steps down into the bar, Eren surveyed his surroundings and stepped up to the bar. He quickly ordered a glass of scotch and moved to sit at a booth near the back, back turned towards the door. For a bit he sat there and enjoyed his silence aside from the casual chattering of other patrons, nothing too loud or distracting, until he heard a clearly drunk, belligerent man attempting to hit on some woman. By the man's slur and overbearing tone as he told the woman she wasn't normally the kind to have such hard standards, she should go home with him, Eren sighed. 

Pressing the button behind his ear, Eren's right iris came alight with a brilliant golden hue "Rogue, what's that asshole doing back there? Can I take him?"

As he stared down at his glass, a deep laugh rumbled in his ears "Haha, Eren, you know better. Don't be an _ idiot _ . You're gonna get arrested if you start a fight in here over something that's none of your business. Do you honestly even think of these things?"

Eren gave a hushed chuckle as he sipped his scotch "He's just ruinin' my buzz and probably that poor lady's night."

"Pretty sure that  _ 'lady'  _ can take care of _ himself,"  _ Rogue corrected with a hint of sarcasm. 

"Gay?" Eren asked himself with a curious inflection.

A sigh sounded in his head "Ugh, is that _ all  _ you think you heard?"

_ "Rogue...." _ Eren drawled.

"Fine," he huffed "you can take him but the other guy is probably gonna blow you off and not in the way you’re itching for. Judging from body posture and his heat signature he doesn't seem too interested in any company."

"Probably right," Eren shrugged dejectedly.

Reprimanding him, Rogue began "You really should find a better place for a drink than this shitty little dive. Is that a fucking  _ jukebox?  _ Seriously, Eren, find a better place......and speaking of finding better other things, how about your jo---"

"Civilian," Eren interrupted before the lecture came. "We’re not soldiers. We’re just regular, everyday, average people now. I don't need you to help me kill people anymore. We are just out to enjoy life now and relax without having to look over our shoulder. No barrage of bullets, no smell of gunpowder so thick it chokes the air, and no potential death via gunner."

"Don't hurt yourself then, Cowboy," Rogue sighed in clear surrender. 

"Sure," Eren responded as he pressed the button with a soft push. Part of Eren supposed he had a love-hate relationship with Rogue. For a long time it was Rogue, and his team, who had his back. He knew that no matter what Rogue's intel and abilities as a computer program helped him out in the field. Even during the times he'd been unstable, Rogue was the one to help him back to his feet. No fights, no training, no injury could keep Eren down and he wore the scars from it. Rogue was always the one who was there with him through it all. At the moment, he figured, because of the trust he had with him, that he should just sit back and attempt to ignore the situation. Drinking another sip of his scotch, Eren exhaled a sigh and leaned his head back.

When he opened his eyes again, a sight unlike any other took him by surprise. In front of him, in the other side of the booth, sat a young man with beautifully sharp features and porcelain skin. He looked just like a doll with that frozen expression. Hazy blue eyes of a deep steely hue looked back at him and he swore he saw the corner of his lip threatening to turn upwards with a smile. Eren just arched a brow as the well dressed man blinked slowly and regarded him carefully. Eren was too lost in taking in that jet black hair styled up in a temple high undercut and a devious smile that made his stomach flip. Whoever this guy was had all of Eren's attention.

Glancing up, the man turned his gaze to the drunken, stumbling buffoon of a man who stood at the end of the table "As you can see, I've already got my company. I'm busy."

Reaching out, with a crooked, scatter-toothed smile, the overbearing man scratched his scraggly beard and then slurred "Heyyy now, bab---"

Eren quickly jerked his head up to the disheveled man "He's busy." Looking over to his new companion he pointed a finger at the man "Sorry, baby, this guy bothering ya?" 

The man gave a gentle smile "A little bit."

"Huh, whaddaya sayin'?" The man boomed as he made another attempt to reach for the young man's arm.

Placing his own atop the repugnant man's arm, Eren rose and stood nearly nose to nose with the obnoxious drunk "You so much as _ touch _ my boy and I'll rip this arm off and beat you to death with it. Got it? Good."

_ "Whoa,"  _ the man groaned, as Eren brushed the hair back from his face to show the circuitry at his temple. "You didn't say you was wit' this freak!"

Eren's grin turned into something cruel and cold as he regarded the man "Wanna repeat that to my face?"

"You're a fucking  **freak,** ya cyborg bastard! Killers; the lot of---" before the man could finish his shouts and slurred screams, Eren looped an around his neck and jabbed the tips of his four fingers just beneath the man's ribs. 

At the action, the man tried to drop to his knees, but Eren just caught him as he stumbled forward and looked towards the bartender "You might wanna get this drunk outta here 'fore he causes a problem." The bartender nodded furiously as the man shuffled back to the bar. Calling a cab for the man had been quicker than he expected, but after a moment the man was being escorted out and Eren slipped back into his booth. He wondered a bit about his damsel that he'd saved. Playing up his charm a bit, Eren smiled "Sorry about that."

The man shook his head slightly "No, that's my apology. I'm sorry to have involved you in that. I didn't mean---"

Interrupting him, Eren wove a hand "It's fine, though you should probably get back to your seat. Your guy wouldn't like you sitting here with  _ the freak." _

"So, was he right?" The man asked, curious glimmer sparkling in his eyes.

Eren leaned over the table a bit and brushed his hair behind his ear "If he was?"

"Then it'd be better for me to keep sitting right _ here _ . Besides, you think I have a guy if I'm here in  _ this _ dive?" He asked with a bit of a laugh.

"Good point," Eren shrugged as he sat back in his seat "so may I ask if this is like a popular gay spot or---"

"No," he quickly answered "it's not. That guy just creeps on anyone.....all the time. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I don't have standards, ya know?"

Responding with a laugh, Eren raised his glass before taking a sip "Haha, I certainly feel that one. Glad to be of service."

"So," he grinned "you're gay? Truly?"

"Truly," Eren beamed in response to that near godly grin.

"Well," he cleared his throat "then I'm really glad I chose this table. May I ask your name?"

Extending his hand, Eren nodded "Eren Jaeger."

"Levi Ackerman," Levi offered as he shook Eren's hand.

Eyes widening, Eren shook his head in dismay "Whoa! That's pretty cool.....like, the radio guest on 106.7 who reads people’s lies?"

Nodding, Levi confirmed his guess "The same....though to be a little more technical I'm a criminal psychologist and behaviorist. I take it you listen to the segment then?"

"Yeah," Eren replied enthusiastically. "Me and the team used to listen to it on assignment, well, when the satellite link let us anyway. It kept us laughing and sometimes, out there, you need a laugh or any connection back to peace you can get."

"Glad to help a soldier," Levi grinned mischievously. "May I ask your--"

Cutting him off, Eren returned his grin "Lieutenant Jaeger, unit 104, spec. ops."

"Ah," Levi chuckled "well, Lt. Jaeger, thank you for your service."

"Just doing my job," Eren answered before leaning over, letting his voice silken "but if you really wanna thank me? Let me get you a drink." Waving over a server he gestured to Levi who ordered a rum and coke before shaking his head. Clearly, he'd gotten into the gorgeous man's good graces. How strange that he listened to the man's voice for over several years, enjoying some hilarious stories of cheating spouses, lying children, and scumbag bosses, and now he got to see the face behind it all? He had to admit, that it was one stunning face too, but then he wondered about the body behind it all.

One the drink arrived, Levi sipped it and looked up to meet Eren's gaze "So, Lieutenant, are you hitting on me?"

Taking a moment to think it over, Eren nodded "Yeah, you know what, I am. Have you looked in a mirror....ever? You're absolutely gorgeous."

Levi averted his gaze for a moment, cheeks flushing peony before he had the courage to look back "Thank you. Are you hitting on me because you know who I am or because I'm pretty?"

Eren shrugged "A little of column A but way more of column B."

"I like that you're honest," Levi responded before his voice dropped to a whisper "but, uh, can I ask something that's been on my mind? It may be a bit insensitive?"

"Probably had way worse," Eren chuckled before waving a hand "shoot."

Gesturing to Eren's temple, Levi asked "Why didn't the military take back their  _ toy?" _

A smile donned Eren's lips as he answered casually "Because Rogue isn't useful to anyone but me. I was the only person that his personality meshed with......well, that, and it's rooted into my nervous system." Pulling down his shirt to reveal the circuit paths on his collarbone and chest, Eren shrugged and then rubbed away the concealer over the pathway on his finger. Levi's eyes glittered with interest as he scanned Eren's skin, beyond intrigued by it all. "This is my circuitry. When Rogue is engaged he lights me up like one pretty target. It's like a venus flytrap effect for targets because, if I let him, Rogue can overwrite my body's nerve receptors and control the right side of my body. We had to learn to work together in more than one way."

Stunned, Levi stared "Whoa, that's... _.that's incredible!  _ He's not active right now though, right? Like, he can't see what's going on right now?"

"Right," Eren answered. "Right now he's just kinda in a stasis, but he can still reach me if need be. He can override my sensory system until I turn him on though it burns like a bitch if he does it. Like someone shoved a soldering iron in my temple.  Considering he exists as an AI he can still exist in technology even when not ‘awake’ so there’s that too."

"Interesting," Levi mused "and has he had any lasting effect on your psyche?"

Thinking back on it, Eren shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the booth "I mean, I guess so. He helped me rationalize my job when it started to drive me crazy. Orders were orders; targets were targets. We had missions, legally speaking, I can't tell you a damn thing about. I've done things that I would have gone mad for, but he helps me see it as something else. Always has really."

Levi nodded "Wow, that's so helpful. I wonder why---"

"Because too many people  _ die," _ Eren interrupted, already knowing where his line of thought was going. "You were wondering why the military doesn't give it to soldiers more often, right? Fact is, hundreds have to die for one cipher link. Ciphers don't just connect to someone and you go on your way. It's a life and death operation for just the chips and circuitry, after that you're implanted with a cipher, and if you don't link? _ You die.  _ It will fry all your neuroreceptors and you will die in an instant. Each cipher is picky. They pick you and you have to fight them for it. You prove yourself to your cipher through horrendous tests. They will rummage through everything in your head: your fears, your faults, your dreams, and pick you apart with it. Psychological torture at their hands isn't even the end. If you withstand what they put you through, prove yourself to have similar morals, values, beliefs, and understanding.....well, then, then they try to kill you."

_ "Kill you?" _ Levi asked completely bewildered.

"Yeah," Eren responded "they take over the weakest part of your body, where the circuits are, and try to kill you. Ever held a knife to your own throat? I did....well,  _ Rogue  _ did. The saddest part is even if you get through that you haven't formed a successful link. Elite soldiers aren't made without sacrifice, Levi, and it's more than just some procedure. It changes your life forever. It's why Project Cipher died with my father. See, these ciphers were all created with their own sentient abilities and personalities. Each one is unique, but that just means it's like a completely other person in your head. Having another person inside your head isn't easy. It's driven some people stark raving mad......to the point of some soldiers killing themselves while others come back as broken, unstable, empty husks of who they used to be."

Horrified, Levi shook his head "That's.....How many survived the program?"

"My branch? Less than 13. The entire military? Around 200 out of the thousands that attempted it. I only know four still breathing from my unit."

Levi cringed and spoke lowly "I see...and your father created them?"

Eren fought the urge to roll his eyes at the mention of the bastard "He was the head of the program as he did most the original work with bionics in the medical field. He's not important though. Did I get all of your possible questions and main question solved about my extra parts?"

Unable to prevent a smile at the way he'd worded his sentence, Levi nodded "Mostly. Now, I don't know how you feel about being in front of a shrink."

Answering honestly, Eren laughed "Lie detectors don't scare me. Why don't you tell me a little more about yourself? I've talked too much and sometimes it's best for a man to sit back and listen."

"Beauty  _ and _ brains," Levi cooed "well, let's see, aside from helping out my friend at the radio station, I teach at Borden University. I also, at times, provide and lend my expertise to the government on specific cases. We all lie; what matters most is why. People are easy to read in the moment but learning their motive, why they thought the way they did in the moment, that's the hard part. It's the  _ best _ part."

"Why'd you chose that path?" Eren asked.

"Because I realized that while I was growing up, everyone was a fucking  _ liar,"  _ Levi chuckled bitterly. "The most influential people in my life spent 15 years lying to me and I learnt how to read them to survive. When I left it was just something that I sank into. It was just about the only thing in the world that I was good at."

Eren shook his head as he stretched an arm out to Levi's face, index finger millimeters from brushing the slope of his jaw "Awww, come now, it can't be the  _ only  _ thing you're good at."   

Leaning over the table, Levi responded "You're right......I also brew a mean cup of tea."

Unable to prevent it, Eren laughed and shook his head "Haha! And you're funny. Seems like Rogue was wrong about this place being a waste. You're good company, Levi."

Arching a brow, Levi questioned "Am I? Well, I suppose anyone who doesn't scream that you're a freak, killer, monster, or abomination is good."

"You are good company," Eren answered "those other people are just decent enough to not say it to my face. You can hold a conversation, you're gorgeous, witty, charming, and you have a really nice laugh."

Flushing a bit, Levi cleared his throat "So many compliments....that are honest from what I can read. I admit you're similar and bit hard to read. Good thing I like a challenge. Keeps me on my toes. Can you _ ‘keep me on my toes,’ _ Eren?"

"Levi," Eren purred as he inched closer "the thing I got in my mind doesn't involve keeping you on your feet......only your _ back." _

Eyes widening, Levi sighed with a slight smile "So you intend to have sex with me, then?"

A bit shocked at his forthcomingness, Eren forced back his drink and nodded "Well, I had plans of taking you to dinner sometime, but that was definitely something I was thinking about."

"Then what do you say we skip dinner, hmm?" Levi smirked salaciously as he finished his drink.

Downing the rest of his scotch, Eren's feline grin widened "Damn, Levi, straight to it? I'm down."

"Not yet you aren't," came Levi's flirtatious response. Knowing he was in for more than a good time, Eren allowed Levi to take his hand and lead him from the booth. Before following Levi out of the bar Eren paid his tab and Levi's then happily skipped out to follow him. He didn't figure that they'd be walking back to his house but Eren, had a bit of liquor in his system, as did Levi, and he only lived a little ways away from the dive. Levi's arm slipped around his hips and Eren gladly allowed Levi to lean into him. He hadn't expected Levi to be nearly a foot shorter than himself, but he found it irresistibly adorable. Just how much cuter could he get? The answer was a good bit as he looked up to Eren and smiled sweetly.

Within a few moments, and after a block or four down the road, Levi was leading him by the hand up to a small, grey brick home. Flowerbeds adorned the window sills and there was a cozy atmosphere surrounding the quaint little place. As they stepped up the couple of stairs onto the porch Levi searched his pockets for his keys. Once he located them, he moved to unlock the door, but there was something not right about the atmosphere. Immediately, Eren heard the creak of something inside and forced Levi behind him upon instinct. Someone else was inside, and something told him that if Levi planned on having sex with a stranger then he wasn't going to do it with someone else in the house. Just to be sure, however, he made sure to turn to him.

"Levi," Eren asked seriously "do have you a guest or a roommate? I don't wanna bust through this door and be pointing this barrel at Great Aunt Sophie and give the ol' gal a heart attack."

Shaking his head, Levi answered quickly  _ "No." _

"Then get behind me," Eren demanded as he reached for the pistol at the small of his back and pressed the button to call Rogue. "Got my six, Rogue?"

"As always," he stated firmly.

Eren grinned "Good. Can you get me a signature inside?"

"One heat signature, upstairs, about 5'10 and 140lbs," Rogue informed him as Eren pushed open the door.

Nodding, Eren turned back to Levi "No matter what happens you stay behind me, got me?" 


	2. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd, the last update of this morning. I hope you guys are enjoying my first crack at this kinda thing. It was a premise I had a lot of fun outlining. For those of you wondering what that means, it means that this outline is completed. All that's left to do it type, type, type. You know how I'm gonna do that? With my new laptop!! *cheers heard in the distance* Seriously, I'm glad that I get to write for you guys. I will be posting updates, however, I am working on Ereri Love Month! That is a collection of 16 prompts, so I know it's going to be hard, but I'm going for it. My main fics will likely update once or twice or a month depending. Just depends on how I feel. Schedules are hard to keep, but I will always use Sunday as my posting day. There will be at least SOMETHING every week. Without further delay, let's jump into some fun of this story, shall we?

He noticed Levi's staring as the golden circle overtook his normally turquoise iris, but he couldn't afford the time to let him gawk. His circuitry was alight, but dimly, as he moved cautiously inside catching Levi's entranced, delayed nod at his instruction. Instructing Levi to shut the door behind him, Eren then moved to the stairs and focused his attention on the threat at hand. Cautiously, he began a slow ascension while attempting to keep his wits about him. Being a bit jumpy in the situation was to be expected of someone normal, but not of someone with his abilities and training. With a deep breath he steeled his nerves and moved to round the top of the stairs only to be met with a thin man wearing a pair of khakis and a soft magenta polo shirt wielding a 4” blade in his hand. Eren scoffed at the image but had to immediately think to turn, as it wasn't Eren the invader went for.

"He's coming back! He's going to cleanse you and purge your sins! It's time for it to begin!" The lunatic shouted as he ran towards Levi. Not having any of that psycho babble, or the attempt on Levi's life, Eren squared his shot and put a bullet through the man's knee sending him tumbling down the rest of the stairs. Levi stood frozen. His eyes had widened to the size of saucers and his arms immediately wrapped around himself. Something about this felt personal. Levi's reaction was shortly overcome, and together they moved towards the assailant who had just enough energy in him to take a slice up Levi's shin. Hissing as the blade ripped through his skin, Levi fell back to the wall and braced himself as Eren put a second slug through the man's shoulder.

Stepping on the wound to ensure the man would stay down, Eren grabbed his phone from his pocket and called the police. With them enroute, Eren waited until he heard the sirens approaching before taking to Levi. He could tell the wound needed to be taken care of, so he tossed his leather jacket to the floor and pulled his shirt over his head, ripping the bottom half off to use as a cloth to stop the blood flow. Levi's eyes were stuck to his core, but he didn't have time to let Levi drool over him. There was a time and place for that and, while they were in the place, it  _ definitely  _ wasn't the time.

"Let me see," Eren asked as he offered a hand out for Levi to extend his leg. Levi obeyed and sat down atop the bottom step, so he'd not have to worry about putting weight on his injury. From the looks of it, the wound was pretty superficial. It managed to only slice the first layer of skin, but it was still a wound....one Eren had caused thanks to his carelessness. 

Rogue echoed in his head as if to purposely bring him to the actual issue at hand "It's shallow, Eren, he'll be fine. Field dres--"

Having to remind him, Eren sighed "Rogue, he's going to a  _ hospital. _ We're not in the field."

Snickering, Levi looked to him with a smile though still entranced by his appearance "Haha, it's like you're arguing with yourself."

"I am," Eren shrugged "basically."

"Maybe if you weren't such a---"

_ "Shut up, Rogue,"  _ Eren barked.

Taking him off guard, Levi had to ask "What's he like?"

"An  _ asshole _ ," Eren scowled before he chuckled "why don't you say ‘hello,’ Rogue?" The next moment Eren's right side lit up with a bright citrine glow down the circuit pathways on his body. Each section of circuitry was glowing with a warm light that Levi found himself drawn to. As his fingers reached out for Eren's collarbone, tracing over the circuit pattern, he noticed Eren's right arm raised. His hand was in front of him and his fingers fanned before falling from the pinky to his thumb. Levi had to laugh at the showy, dramatic type of wave.

From what Eren had said, Levi figured he could have some fun "And I take it, Rogue, that Eren can be an ass at times too?"

In the next moment Eren's right hand was showing a thumbs up which only made Eren scowl "Oh _ , eat me, _ Rogue." As he reached behind his ear to turn off the circuits the lights dimmed before completely fading out. Turing to Levi, he narrowed his eyes "Just so you know, Rogue is not a puppy. He's a bloodthirsty killer and his cipher killed the most people before he linked with me. Don't go getting too comfortable with him."

"Well, he's a part of you still even if that part is a murdering puppy dog. Only fair for me to say hello and have some fun," Levi grinned before hissing at Eren's tight pull of the makeshift bandage.

"I suppose so," Eren replied "but he's normally not that nice. If I give him control he normally flips people off."

_ "Charming," _ Levi deadpanned before the cops came knocking on the door. Eren told him to remain sitting as he got up to answer the door. There needed to be no more undue stress on him. While heading towards the door, Eren just wanted to make sure the bastard on the floor was still out cold from loss of blood, as he lay in an ever expanding pool of crimson. It hadn't exactly been his prerogative to keep the hostile alive; just to not kill him himself. The police sergeant who answered the door immediately rushed to Levi's aide giving Eren the sense the tall, freckled officer knew him personally. Other officers called in the paramedics for the shot assailant and then pulled Eren aside for questioning. As he recanted his story, he walked them through the scenario and handed over his weapon as they'd need it for evidence. While the sergeant was taking Levi's statement, Eren set to skulking around the place. 

This hadn't been random. Something had set off this whackodoodle, and he was determined to get to the root of it. Sneaking around in the spare room downstairs, checking tables and drawers, and ducking around in the closet led to a fruitless search. Instead, there was one place that Eren knew to look. If there was anything in the house he about bet it hadn't been there for long. Levi didn't exactly seem like the type to keep clutter, so he checked the one thing he did find in the office downstairs. Filtering through the shredder he found pieces of notes... _.threatening notes  _ with no return stamps or addresses that he could find. They had to have been left personally. Whatever Levi had gotten himself involved in, it was clear that they were no longer complacent with just leaving threatening, rather explicit letters to him. Hauling the shredder to the front room, Eren dumped the few shavings still in the bin onto the floor in front of the sergeant and Levi.

"Whatever is going on, Levi, someone **isn't** playing around with you," Eren warned as he gestured towards the pile.

Quickly attempting to get to his feet, Levi shouted "It's **none** of your business!"

"Levi," the officer stated as he placed a hand to his chest "it's alright. No one's blaming you for this attack. What is all this?"

Eren lifted some of the pieces with a hint of disdain etched into his features "Looks like a  _ ‘How to Make a Collage of Creepy Letters Whackos Send to Threaten Me 101’ _ manual."

"I don't  _ need _ your help and this is  **none** of your business, Eren," Levi seethed. "Marco, I don't need help."

"You need  _ someone's _ help," the officer, whom Levi had addressed as Marco, spoke quietly "and you need to go to the hospital to get that wound properly taken care of. We also need to have it documented so your friend over here can verify the story that both he and you were in fear of your lives when he shot the intruder."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Eren shook his head at Levi’s attitude “Someone broke into your home to come at you with a knife screaming about purging you of sin and cleansing you. I think you need someone’s help too. It damn sure doesn’t have to be me but, Levi, you’re in danger. Please at least think about it and let me take you to the hospital since I know very well you’re gonna refuse an ambulance when it’s just a flesh wound.” With the police sergeant’s approval, Levi reluctantly went with Eren to the hospital. He’d been painfully sober at that point, though admitted he’d had a drink in his report, so blood work was going to have to be taken from him as well once they arrived at the hospital. Much to his disdain after getting back to his car, he recalled his sister was on duty at the hospital.

When he arrived with police escorts in tow, he found his sister’s piercing almond eyes boring a hole straight through him. Her shoulder length, midnight hair bounced and swayed as she practically stomped her way over to them once they got to the ER. Turbulent stormy eyes met his own and he could feel the unease swirling off her body as the police informed her that there had been an incident, and they both needed exams and blood panels drawn for evidence. At first, anger was the only thing present before it fell away to concern and worry. He could watch her normally stoic expression falter, but he knew he couldn’t explain it just yet.

She took Levi back first while the sergeant left Eren in the lobby with a patrol officer just to be on the safe side. He was certainly fine with that, but he’d hoped to pick the sergeant’s brain a bit about Levi and why he was absolutely adamant to refuse their help in such a dire seeming situation. Any normal person would have been terrified and screaming for help, but there was something about the calm demeanor Levi had worn after collecting himself from the initial fear that worried him. It looked for all the world like he’d been faced with that before. If anyone knew firsthand how someone would react to having dealt with such a life threatening situation before it was a corpsman. 

While he was busy losing himself in the idea that Levi was potentially hiding a lot more than just his reaction, Mikasa’s face was popping up in front of him. Levi was exiting the exam room with a dour scowl as he buttoned up the cuffs of his sleeves. It was then he noticed the look on his sister’s face. She looked utterly terrified. This was no longer the slight concern, but a terror so significant he could see the pain in her eyes.

Reaching out with a cautious hand, Eren placed a hand to the pale skin of his sister’s cheek “Mika… is everything okay? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Swallowing, she lowered her voice to a whisper “What have you gotten yourself into, Eren?”

“I’ll tell you everything in the exam room,” he stated before following her quietly to exam room 4. Inside, he followed her basic instructions of an evidence collection. Having to piss in a cup at his sister’s instruction, however, was a bit odd but nothing like being nearly naked. He stripped down to his boxers as she looked him over for any wounds or scrapes. Without one on him, she began to scratch it down on his chart then moved to take a small bit of blood from him. As always, Eren cringed at the sight of the needle and turned his head as she carefully slipped it into the vein of his inner elbow. After drawing a vial, she placed a cotton ball onto the small pinprick and then taped a band-aid over it. Once she was done, Eren filled her in on the specifics of his ordeal.

“Whatever he’s dealing with….” she paused before continuing “is unlike  _ anything _ I’ve ever seen, Eren. I’m legally not allowed to tell you, you know that, but it’s huge. Just, please, promise me you’ll be careful if you get any more involved than you already are.”

Trying to get a laugh out of her, he grinned “What’s huge? His dick?”

Instead of a laugh he received a sigh as she shook her head “No….about average, but his secret. He’s a strong man but also fragile, so be easy around that one if you decide to pursue your dampened evening another time.” Before she turned, she dug into her lab coat and removed one of her notepads “Oh! Before I forget, he left his number for you.”

Snatching the paper, he smirked “Perfect. Guess I’ll call him in a couple days when all this calms down. Thanks for it.”

“You’re welcome,” she offered with a rare smile “but also drink more. You’re getting dehydrated according to your urine test.”

Grimacing at the speak of any of his bodily fluids from his sister, Eren just pulled his clothes on and nodded “Yeah, yeah, more water less scotch. I get it. I’ll see you soon, Mika. Give mom my love if you see her. I gotta jet.” He wrapped her in a hug that she softly reciprocated before leaving. Knowing he should actually listen to his sister, he stopped by a fast food joint before heading back to the apartment. Hey, she said to hydrate, but didn’t say anything about clogging his arteries with bacon cheeseburgers and cheese fries. Once he got back to the security and comfort of his new apartment, he took the time to eat then prepared for bed. 

After a shower, he moved to the safe in the closet that contained his most precious, and important, documents as well as his firearms. With another loaded pistol removed, he placed it atop his bedside table and felt a bit safer knowing it was there. His phone was placed beside it and he moved towards the bathroom for the final piece of his nightly routine. Flipping open the medicine cabinet, he stared at the plastic, tangerine shaded bottles bearing his name. Taking a handful of pills every morning and night hadn’t ever been part of his life plan, but there he was unscrewing multiple child proof caps and shaking out various pills into his palm. As he filled the small cup on the sink with water, he tossed the pills into his mouth and slammed them back.

With his pills taken, he curled up in bed hoping to get a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, sleeping longer than a couple hours wasn’t written in the stars for him. He hated this. Sleeping wasn’t something that came easily to him anymore. Maybe it was due to his body always being on the alert, especially after the night’s events, but more than likely it was due to the fact he worked the night shift. No matter, it’d only be three hours before he had to go to work anyway. Whatever the cause was he was hoping he wouldn’t have to take the sleeping pills he’d been prescribed. They gave him strange dreams and made him groggy if he slept less than ten hours.  He didn’t really need to see the green faerie under a pool deck guarding the portal to hell from a decrepit old monkey skeleton or to sleep ten hours when he had to work in three. Instead of dealing with that mess, he got up from bed and grabbed his phone before sauntering into the front room. 

Turning on Netflix for some background noise, Eren began to do something he hadn’t expected even of himself. Sending out a text message to Levi, just to ensure that he was okay, Eren leaned back in recliner and let time pass him by.

 

**_From: Eren  
_ ** **_To: Levi  
_ ** _ Hey, got your message. I hope that you’re okay after everything.  _

He’d managed to fall asleep for a bit and woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring. Dragging his heavy body to the bedroom, he began to get ready for work and took his sweet time doing so. He was too tired to really do anything with much gusto and motivation so getting into his uniform took a bit longer than usual. When he was finally ready he put on his hat and slipped his pistol into his belt. It wasn’t unusual for security to carry a pistol, but it wasn’t something everyone had been cleared for that was for sure. If anyone could be trusted with one, however, it was Eren.

At work, he saw Mikasa as she was leaving and gave her a nod of acknowledgement before she stepped out the front door. Now it was time for him to clock in and make his rounds around the hospital. Rounds were typically quite boring, but whatever kept him busy and not behind a desk checking people in was good enough for him. It was always pretty quiet on the upper levels as he bypassed patient rooms, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary until his phone vibrated in his pocket. After a couple hours, around 6am, he’d gotten a text and had to blink and rub his eyes several times just to make sure he read the name correctly.

 

**_To: Eren  
_ ** **_From: Levi  
_ ** _ Sort of. Physically fine. I’m sorry to have snapped at you. _

Realizing this was quite an occasion, Eren responded as quickly as he could.

**_From: Eren  
_ ** **_To: Levi  
_ ** _ It’s okay. You were on edge and I pried someplace I shouldn’t have. You had a bad night, so don’t worry about it.  _

**_To: Eren  
_ ** **_From: Levi  
_ ** _ Still….what happened last night….I don’t know what would have happened had you not been there with me. Thank you, Eren. _

A small smile curled his lips as he read those words. It was true that instinct kicked in, but he was glad to help. Protecting people was what he was made for after all.

**_From: Eren  
_ ** **_To: Levi  
_ ** _ I’m just glad I was there and that you’re okay. You seriously do need to have the police put a guard out just in case. These types of things are no joke. _

**_To: Eren  
_ ** **_From: Levi  
_ ** _ I thought someone was just trying to scare me. I’ve testified at so many criminal trials I’ve lost count. Marco stationed a guy outside just in case, stubborn bastard didn’t take no for an answer, but I don’t think he’ll do me much good. _

Concerned at that last statement, Eren began to wonder why he’d say that. If he didn’t want the patrol unit and didn’t believe they’d help, was he truly in a larger form of danger?

**_From: Eren  
_ ** **_To: Levi  
_ ** _ They’d be able to catch the next person to leave you one of those notes. _

**_To: Eren  
_ ** **_From: Levi  
_ ** _ After they’d gutted me maybe. I talked to Marco about it already. I’d like to talk with you about something. Coffee or tea? _

Wondering if Levi was asking him out, Eren just stared down at his phone’s screen. As he was walking he almost ran into the double doors on the oncology catwalk. He was almost in a daze as he tried to figure out if Levi was asking him on a date, or if he was just wanting to talk out whatever was going on and needed his advice. Either way, he was going.

**_From: Eren  
_ ** **_To: Levi  
_ ** _ Coffee for me but I’m working at the moment. My shift ends at 9. Can it wait until then? _

**_To: Eren  
_ ** **_From: Levi  
_ ** _ Sure. Meet me at Legavie Cafe then. _

**_From: Eren  
_ ** **_To: Levi  
_ ** _ You got it. See you then. _

 


	3. Dammit, Levi, I'm a Cybernet Not a Superhero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I do hear the love for this story and I'm glad! For those wondering of other stories, I'm not actually writing anything new until I finish the love month thing. I'm just posting chapters I already have done. Some stories I lost complete outlines to during the computer crash, so I'm still working on that. Until then, just know that this story will likely update weekly until I finish the love month spiel :3 
> 
> ~Hugs & Kisses,  
> ❤♠Neko❤♠

As he shoved his phone back into his pocket he began to wonder more about where the fuck that cafe was. He’d just moved there. He didn’t exactly know where everything was still. He’d been working in the city for a couple months but he’d lived outside it. Now that he lived inside the limits he’d yet to really go exploring. It wasn’t like he was the most social person when he was practically nocturnal. 

Looking up directions to the place before he left, Eren caught himself hoping that it was definitely bordering more so on a date level. Levi was beautiful and so smart it could turn him around, but he wanted to know much more. Listening to him on the radio and then actually spending some time with him made him naturally curious. While he was finishing up his shift he kept the hope that it was less of an advice column meetup with Levi and then happily trotted out the front door when he clocked out 15 minutes before 9am. 

Driving to a cafe still in his uniform might have been a bit strange, but there wasn’t time to go home and change. Following the navigation he was already around 20 minutes out in the opposite direction of his apartment. When he arrived at the quaint little coffee place, he began to understand why Levi frequented the place. He’d recalled that Levi worked at Borden University, and the little cafe was across from the main admissions building of the university. As he pulled into the parking lot he saw it was quite busy on a Sunday morning, so he made sure to park a little ways down the street. He believed those who needed to be in and out quickly should park near to the front, so he had no problem walking a bit. 

Entering the small cafe, he was immediately hit with the fresh aroma of coffee beans and had to enjoy that air. The baked goods had a sweet wafting scent as well, but he was more focused on the coffee. First thing he did was order a small coffee before scanning the area. Levi was sitting in the back of the right side of the establishment, face buried in a legal pad and laptop. Levi looked up when he heard Eren clear his throat and he was immediately taken aback. He was wearing glasses and Eren had to take a moment to admire the look.

Before he could comment on it, Levi’s brow quirked up as he scanned Eren’s dress _ “Security?” _

“Hospital,” Eren admitted as he sat down across from him watching as he removed his glasses and folded them in front of him. 

“Well good,” he began as he looked to Eren with flat features devoid of any emotion “because I have a job offer for you. I’m sure it’ll pay better and it’s also security work.” Eren blinked slowly. This was what he came for? Part of him wanted to laugh it off in that very instant but the other half of him was curious as to what he’d be looking after.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Eren posed “And what would I be doing exactly? Watching the house?”

_ “Me,” _ Levi stated firmly before clarifying. “I want you to watch me. The catch is this: I can’t tell you why until you answer. I need you to protect me. I have basic defense training but you saw me. I completely froze when that man spoke. It was like I was completely useless and there’s a reason for it. I know I can’t handle this alone.”

Far more curious, and a hint concerned for Levi’s wellbeing, Eren replied “Hypothetically, of course, let’s say I quit my job and play babysitter 24-7. What happens when the fiasco is over? It wouldn’t be like I could go back to it if I have to quit as soon as possible to be able to learn your movements and watch you.”

Ready with an information folder, Levi slid it across the table to him “Inside you’ll find the practice test for the police academy. As it stands 85% of new recruits are failing the exam and the city can’t keep officers. I know you joined the military for a reason and I know your instinct took over when you protected me. You want to help people. Here’s how. Marco laid out the offer that if you can pass the exam, due to your training, you’d be able to join the force. You’d have to sit through an hour long class for a couple weeks but it’s mostly basic laws. Oh, and the B.L.E.T. needs to be passed too.”

“A cop?” Eren asked, completely astonished at how much he’d done to offer him this. “I don’t know how well the people in the city would do with having a cybernet as an officer. Hell, I don’t even know how the force would handle it. Ever wonder why I didn’t go there first?”

Levi chuckled “Well, speaking for Marco, I know he’d handle it well consider he worked with Project Cipher.”

Folder flopping out of his hands and to the table, Eren sat slack jawed before finding his words “What?”

“He was in the army for a bit. Military police,” Levi answered before he even asked the question.

Eren nodded “Okay, so he was a station guard for the project. Makes sense why he didn’t even look twice at me. That was kinda nice. Just because he’s used to people like me doesn’t mean  _ others _ are. I could handle the physical shit and the classes and the exams, but the relationship with the public could potentially suffer because of me.”

“Marco wouldn’t let that happen,” Levi replied confidently. “You would actually be quite an asset especially to the SWAT department, hmm? Now, hypothetically, your living arrangements would also need to change during the duration of this.”

“Figured as much,” Eren sighed “but you’ve thought this out a bit.”

“Of course I did,” Levi scoffed before he grinned “because I  _ never c _ ome unprepared to anything. So, what do you say? I can have everything taken care of. Paying you is no problem. Being a published author has it perks.”

Shaking his head at it all, Eren asked “Wait….you’re an author too?”

“Mostly academic journals and some interviews for publications,” Levi replied “so are you in?” Taking a moment to think it through, Eren sat there and began to weigh the pros and cons of the assignment. On one hand he got to do something important again, and even afterwards he’d have a job that was more fulfilling where he got to help people again. Figuring out the balance of it all would take a while, but it was something he had to admit he wanted. It was all in front of him, and it was going to be a pretty easy job he figured.

Finally, Eren nodded “I just moved into my apartment, so I guess all my stuff is already packed.”

“Excellent,” Levi grinned “then it’s settled. In my downtime I can help you study for the entrance exam and the B.L.E.T. if need be.”

“Alright, I’ll do it, so tell me what’s going on with you,” Eren asked before he watched Levi’s porcelain features pale more than normal. It seemed like whatever this was truly about was something that weighed more heavily that some random whackos.

Levi’s voice dropped  _ “Not here. _ Get your things and meet me back at the house. I’ll have the guest room prepared for you. Here’s the address in case you can’t remember the way there.” Quickly, Levi scrawled out the address and then gathered up his things. Before Eren could say anything else Levi was sliding on his glasses and exiting the cafe. There was something there that was very obviously scaring Levi. Whatever it was, he assumed he’d figure out after he got all the things he’d need from the apartment. After he finished his coffee he decided he should go ahead and get on that as he needed to get things in line as soon as possible. A lot of things needed to be packed up and hauled off.

On the way back to the apartment, he began to worry about this assignment. He had no idea how long it was going to take until things stopped or until Levi felt safe again. He just decided to bring everything he could and that included his firearms. Like hell he was going to be on protective duty and not carry a pistol and at least one knife. Clothing, medication, weapons, and the basics such as his laptop were carried out with him within the hour. It might have taken him a little longer than necessary to gather up his things, but he assumed if need be he could always drive back over and get something if he really needed it. 

Arriving back at Levi’s hadn’t taken too long, but he had to admit that he’d not remembered the way there. It had been dark and he’d walked not driven down the narrow back streets and alleyways. Now that he had to drive things were a bit different, but he’d recognized the flint grey home with it’s dainty little flower planters outside when he got near. Parking beside Levi’s crimson Nissan, Eren got out and knocked on the door. Levi took a moment to answer the door but soon pulled it open wide and told him to go ahead and bring in his things. 

The guest bedroom was down the hall, straight ahead of the door, and the first door on the left. He recalled the house in the dark, lit only by the warm glow of a kitchen light and painted in blue and red flashing lights. Now that he could see everything clearly, he knew that Levi had to be meticulous about the placement of every little thing. He’d explored a few rooms, but at the time he was guided only by the sense to look for one thing. Once he was able to calm that drive down, he was examining the home for it’s quaint coziness. A stone fireplace, leather and black micro suede furniture, stainless steel kitchen appliances and black granite countertops gave off the appeal that Levi did certainly have a posh taste.

He shoved aside the thoughts of the bottom floor of the home as he brought in his things from the car. Focusing more so on the task at hand, Eren began to survey his bedroom for the time being. The bedroom was furnished modestly and was just enough for him to be comfortable in. The mirror stretching the width of the right side of the room was strange before he realized it slid open to reveal his closet. He’d honestly not expected that one, but it was spacious and allowed him to store everything beyond easily. Levi had given him a stare when he watched him carry in a couple charcoal cases, but he’d slid them under the bed and hoped he wouldn’t need what lied inside them. Everything was put away quickly and then he was led upstairs.

Behind Levi on the stairs, Eren began to let his eyes dart around. He was going to need to become acquainted with every inch of the house. Levi took a moment to show him the master bathroom, his library, and finally to his master bedroom upon his request and explanation. Inside Levi’s bedroom wasn’t what he’d expected. Mostly it was dull and a light cream color but it smelled like lemon, fresh linen, and cotton. Such a clean scent permeated the air and with the look of the posh bedroom it was understandable. Levi brought him over to his desk in the corner of the room and sat on the edge of his bed while Eren took a seat in the office chair he’d pulled out for him. 

“Downstairs is the kitchen, my study, the washroom, your bathroom, your bedroom, and the den. Upstairs is just the three rooms. You’re free to be wherever except my bedroom, as I do expect my privacy to be kept. I’m busy for the most part with writing, grading, or planning out my lectures. As head of the psychology department I stay busy, so I need quiet. Understand?” Levi asked softly.

Eren nodded “Yeah, I understand, but understand I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“I expected nothing less,” Levi chuckled nervously “but just tell me if you need in my bedroom. Now, to the root of the problem. Do you remember anything about the Hellfire Sanct?”

Shocked by the name drop, Eren replied “Yeah, that super crazy religious nutcase that had people believing they could murder their way into heaven by  _ ‘cleansing’  _ sinners? They had like some fucked up baby factory running, the head dude married like seven 15yr old girls….creepy stuff.”

Levi bit his lip and nodded “Yeah, that’d be the one. Well they weren’t exactly blind to the system of a hierarchy, and the phrase you're looking for is blood atonement.”

“Yeah, I think I remember them arresting the head of it when I was like 13,” Eren rattled off as he wracked his brain.

“That man was my _father,”_ Levi stated flatly. Eren stared. Did he really just say that? Well, no one would just say that if it wasn’t true. Who the fuck would even want to admit something like that?! Eren’s gut twisted as he began to think about what was going on. “I’m the reason he’s rotting in a prison cell, but these fucking minions of his are getting worse by the day. I think he’s planning something….something big and I’m somehow a part of it.”

“Like an escape,” Eren muttered.

“And my _ murder,” _ Levi sighed as he continued “because escape might be a fraction of it, but he wouldn’t just be sending people to threaten me if he was just going to break out. He believed the ultimate sacrifice of faith was to sacrifice your firstborn son ensuring they were pure and clean of sin. It was like some kind of fucking promise to God. A twist of Abraham and Issac. He really took the Genesis thing a bit far with the whole ‘Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ I don’t remember a lot of it, but I remember enough. He believes if he dies while he’s in prison he won’t ascend because he never kept that promise; he didn’t hold up his end of the bargain. The fact I’m a big, fat sinning homo who works for the government doesn’t exactly sit well with him, and he believes I must be cleansed with fire in order to purge my sins before he can uphold his promise.”

Eren’s eyes were still wide with shock as he tried to find the words “I--” Levi cut him off by standing and unbuttoning his shirt. His eyes focused on the action as Levi faced him and let the shirt flutter to the ground uselessly. As the fabric pooled around his feet, Levi unbuckled his belt and his jeans joined his shirt. Clad only in a pair of dangerously low riding boxer briefs, Levi met Eren’s gaze.

“Normally, I would never show another person this,” Levi stated before he watched Eren stand and inch closer to him. It was almost painful to watch Levi wince before he even moved. He was clearly smiling behind all the pain. There was no way he could draw his eyes away from the scars littering almost every inch of Levi’s beautiful, alabaster skin. Some looked like burns while others were from lacerations and some even looked like his skin had been torn open by something as the skin sutured into a starburst pattern. It wasn’t until Levi held his breath and turned around that Eren felt physically ill. How in the hell could someone brand their own child?!

Across Levi’s upper back and shoulders were blackened angel wings. It looked every bit as though Levi had the burns gone over in ink to draw attention away from the cross burnt into his back stretching from the center of his back and down the divot of his lower back. Various other marks were strewn across his skin and the scars around his inner thighs made his stomach churn. It looked as though something had been tied around his leg that stabbed into his skin and only continued to tug it open as it cinched tighter. He suddenly remembered why Mikasa looked so pained when she’d had to examine Levi’s body. All of that was enough to be severely disturbed, not to mention sympathetic for what Levi had to endure. 

Eren had no idea what to say or what to feel in that moment. All he could feel was sickness and rage twisting together as it knotted his stomach. Contempt for the man who could do such a thing, fear and sympathy for Levi, but ultimately he felt determined to protect him from the man who wished to do more harm on his son. As Levi began to pull his clothing back on, Eren placed a hand on his shoulder. He’d never seen someone move so fast with eyes so wide at such a simple action. The more he thought about it the more he realized he shouldn’t have touched him at all.

“I’m sorry,” he started softly as he lifted his hand “Levi, I cannot imagine what you had to go through at that man’s hands, but I promise you he’s not gonna fucking touch you _ ever  _ again. What happened to you is not something words can describe but do not prevent yourself from being who you are because your scars both physical and mental. You’re still beautiful, smart, and fun. They don’t change any of that so, please, don’t looked so pained right now.”

Levi managed a hollow smile “Thank you, Eren, you’re sweet. That means a lot. These damn marks have stained me for years, but I do know that I wouldn’t be the man I am without them and, in a strange way, I’m thankful.”

“Exactly,” Eren stated, ready to divulge a bit of his own horrors. “If my father hadn’t made me subject zero for project cipher at eight years old then I wouldn’t have survived Rogue’s link. My father was a glorified torturer, but I’m here and so are you because of the hardships we’ve faced. I promise you, Levi, that I will protect you even if it costs me my life.” Not giving Levi a minute to respond, Eren reached behind his ear and pressed the button. “You ready for duty, Rogue? We’ve got a new objective: Protect Levi.”

Rogue’s voice echoed clearly in his head “Yes, sir.” Guarding Levi was going to be fairly simple, but he couldn’t do it alone if there were people like the Hellfire Sanct after him.

Knowing that this was going to be a monumental assignment, he gave Levi a soft smile “Looks like Rogue is in too. There’s one thing I need to say Levi. I’m a cybernet _ not  _ a superhero. I can’t do this on my own. With your approval I’d like to bring in two people. When I can’t be around, they can, and they’re better tuned for basic surveillance. Their business is shit like this.”

Understanding, Levi gave him a nod as he finished buckling his belt “Okay. I’ll trust that you can make an informed choice. Just, please, not  _ all  _ the gory details about me if you would. I’ll pay them as well. Thankfully, I’ve been published enough for that.”

Eren straightened and held his gaze “You got it. I can have them here in the morning. 

A small glimmer shone in Levi’s eyes “Oh yeah? Interesting. I look forward to meeting them. For now let’s go over some things more in depth. You mentioned following me. Well, I lecture from 9am to 2pm, office hours are until 5pm, radio segments are on Friday and Saturday at 9pm unless otherwise noted, and any other times I’m here.”

“Simple routine,” Eren groaned. “It’s no damn wonder they tracked you so well. I could do that in my  _ sleep. _ Viper and Bloodeye will be here soon, and I’ll fill them in on your schedule. I’m not going to be able to just quit my job, so they’ll pick up my slack when I go to the hospital. I’ll give a two weeks notice then I’m all yours. Now, get some rest. You need it; I can see it on your face. Mentally and physically you need to rest. Go ahead.” 

As he moved to leave the room he heard Levi call out to him “Eren?” There was a look on his face that said he wanted to say something, but instead he just smiled and shook his head “Nevermind. Thanks for agreeing.”

“Not a problem,” Eren beamed as he shut the door behind him. Once he heard the click of the door he stood there and took a deep breath. He knew he wanted to say something, and Eren had wanted to him to too. Unfortunately, he knew that things to remain in a purely professional degree. Getting emotionally involved could make matters worse. On the off chance that something went wrong, he wouldn’t think clearly and who knew how many mistakes he’d make should he become invested in Levi. Even though it was something he wanted, it would have to be placed on the back burner until things settled down. Levi’s life was more important than a moment of rushing skin and sweaty euphoria. 

Admitting that he couldn’t have what he wanted the most was a shot to the chest, but he’d have to do much better if he planned on acting like it wasn’t a big deal. Instead of dwelling on it, he grabbed his phone and dialed two numbers he hadn’t thought he’d need to call for a while. He’d not seen any of the remaining members of his unit in over a month, so it might be nice to present a good job while being able to catch up on how they were handling civilian life as well. He spent a little while on the phone with each of them, getting a couple details of how they were handling things, but when they said they could make it he knew that he’d get more later. 

While Levi slept for a couple more hours Eren roamed the house getting used to the set up and then sat on the sofa, loading Levi’s Netflix. He had a bit of a laugh when he noticed the recently watched section of Levi’s profile. The man loved nature documentaries. It was a closet pleasure of his own that he enjoyed documentaries about the world around them, but he supposed he needed to suffocate his inner voice yet again. Deciding to log into his own account, Eren relaxed to a good horror movie and kept a watchful eye on the goings on around him. Every now and again he’d get up and make documents of the comings and goings of the neighbors.

As far as he was concerned everyone was a potential crazy. It wasn’t exactly like cult members stamped it to their foreheads for the world to see, and that was the hardest part. Pretending everyone was dangerous meant being on edge every minute. All he could do was make sure to cover everything and collect as much intel as he could while Viper and Bloodeye were making their ways back up. The very second he heard something creak upstairs he turned on Rogue only for him to tell Eren that the heat signature moving around was Levi, and he was awake. It calmed him, but there was no dulling his edge.

Eren stretched out on the sofa, even had his eyes closed, when he laughed “Get that hand any closer to my face, Levi, and I might lick it.”

As he cracked open an eye to stare up at a startled Levi, Levi huffed “Really? I thought you were asleep.”

“You thought _ wrong,” _ Eren sighed as he sat up. “Remember, I know where you are at all times. I was even aware when you got up about 18 minutes ago to brush your teeth and take a piss.”

Levi’s brows knitted “Really? How the hell? I didn’t even come downstairs.”

“Heat signature,” Eren shrugged. “Now, what are you doing?”

“Going to work on grading papers. It’s only been about 6 weeks into the semester you know,” Levi smiled “so that means I’m busy finding out which kids are gonna do well and which ones are likely gonna end up flunking.”

Eren chuckled “Sounds like you have your work ahead of you, professor. You should get to that. I’ve called out of work tonight, so I’ll be here to watch you, but that means I’m already tired. I’ll be napping lightly to take the edge off. Rogue will be on, however, which means my brain is active. If you need something I’ll hear you.”

“Okay, thanks,” Levi offered before walking off with a stack of papers under his arm. Eren sighed and pulled a pillow over his face as he began to fall asleep. Engaging Rogue while he slept simply meant that Rogue could wake him up if he knew something was going on. Until he was needed, it was lights out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you already sketched out by the few cult details, fun fact: I've based this cult on three cults that were at the height of cults in the 1970's. Blood atonement is a real thing and used to be a thing in the Mormon Doctorine until it was cast aside though not nearly as bastardized. (EDIT) - I will put out the original thing here, since it has caused some confusion - blood atonement in the original doctrine was done voluntarily, unlike some absolute nutcases have done in the name of their crazy*. If you look up some of things that will be talked about here (the cults anyway) you will discover some pretty heinous, gizzly things....which I do not recommend if you've a weak stomach. 
> 
> ~Hugs & Kisses,  
> ❤♠Neko❤♠


	4. Four's a Party

The next time Eren awoke it was thanks to Levi. He’d asked him if he wanted something to eat when he made dinner. Stretching as he got to his feet, Eren decided why the hell shouldn’t he? It was a bit strange for him to have someone else cooking for him, but nonetheless he discovered that Levi was a fantastic cook. The man could probably con him into anything if he kept cooking like that. Afterwards, Eren thanked him, cleaned his plate, and then went off to his room to get some things figured out. Organizing his information into a document was necessary if three people were going to be keeping up with it.

For a bit he began to research Borden University to learn the campus map, and then he set to cleaning his guns. Much to his surprise, Levi came knocking on the door in the middle of his cleaning. Giving him the all clear to open the door, Eren waited and watched as Levi cautiously entered the bedroom. It seemed to Eren that he was nervous about something, considering that he began to become fascinated with the cuticles of his nails. 

“Hey, Eren,” he began as he looked down while picking at his nails “can I ask you something?”

A bit concerned, Eren nodded and gestured to the bed “Sure. Take a seat. What’s on your mind?”

“These people that are coming...how well do you know them?” Levi asked curiously.

Smile on his lips widening, Eren chuckled “See this pistol? It was a gift from Viper. And, no, before you ask Viper and Bloodeye aren’t their names. I’m so used to calling them their code names it hard for me to stop. I’ve known them since I was about 20 so almost eight years.”

“Code names? So, they’re military?” Levi questioned.

“Yeah, we’re from the same unit,” Eren grinned “so don’t worry you’ll be in safe hands all around. I promise. Were you worried about something?”

Levi gave him a curt nod “Mhmm. Just on edge I guess. Two people I’ve never met are going to be surrounding me for who knows how long and discover things about me that I don’t even like thinking about.”

“Then what makes me different?” Eren word vomited before thinking any better of it.  
  
Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Levi chuckled awkwardly “Well, you and I….Eren, I was fully prepared to sleep with you, you saved my life, and you’re acting like this is just such a cavalier thing. What makes you different is that I knew at  _ some _ point you were gonna find out at least about a couple of my scars. Now these people I don’t know, or have no interest in, are going to be in my house, following me about, and learning my dirty secrets. It feels kinda strange, and you’re my only link to not make it feel quite so bad.”

“Ah,” Eren nodded “well then when they get here I’ll introduce them to you. I promise they’re not going to judge you for something you had no control over. One is kind of an asshole, but he’s just awkward and doesn’t work well with words. The other has a nasty little temper and kept me from fighting half the unit. You’ll probably get along well with Bloodeye….Viper, however, is an  _ acquired _ taste.”

Levi released a tiny huff of laughter “Ha, well, I look forward to meeting them. Do you know when they’ll arrive?”

“I have no damn idea,” Eren offered with a sigh. “Viper is a good 15 hours out and Bloodeye is about nine, but they’ve got some threads to tie up before they get here. I’m expecting in the next couple of hours. Perhaps a little after midnight?”

Surprised, Levi’s eyes widened as he nodded “Oh wow, uh, okay. How about I just meet them in the morning, and you can speak with them to have everything together.”

Eren laughed warmly “Haha, alright. I’ll try not to wake you. Go ahead and get some rest. It’s almost 10pm now and I imagine you’ve got to get up early.”

“I do,” Levi responded as he made for the door “so goodnight, Eren, I hope you get some more sleep yourself.”

“Thank you, goodnight Levi,” Eren smiled broadly. As Levi left he had to wonder if he’d truly been that worried, or if he’d amped it up just a bit in order to speak with him. It was true that he wasn’t exactly keen on holding conversation as he got everything set up but later he wouldn’t mind so much. In fact, he’d like to learn more about Levi, but this wasn’t the time for it. Instead, he returned to cleaning his pistols and wondered himself when his friends would be arriving. It was already so late in the night he knew that he wasn’t getting any sleep. 

In the coming hours, Eren found himself trying to keep busy. Twiddling his thumbs and perusing the internet wasn’t exactly the best way to entertain himself. Only when Rogue notified him that there were two heat signatures approaching the front door did he find himself finally busy. There were only two options for who could be at the front door, and he couldn’t wait to enjoy seeing his friends again. Before they could even knock Eren had the door open. In front of him stood a man an inch taller than himself with striking amber eyes, a flaxen and pecan undercut, and sharp, masculine features. The petite woman to his left, stood about 4’10 with honey blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and was dressed in a similar outfit as the man she was with. Dressed in cargo pants, a black tank top and with laced, knee high combat boots, sparkling blue eyes met his own as the woman’s lips pulled into a wide smile.

“Eren!” The woman shrieked before flinging herself into his arms.

Hugging her tightly, Eren spun her around before dropping her to her feet “Krista!! It’s good to see you! You look good.”

She gave him a playful smack on the chest “So do you.”

“Wow, how rude, Eren. You  _ forgot  _ someone,” came the teasing voice to his side.

Turning to be embraced and patted on the back, Eren nodded “Sorry Jean. You look good too. Have you been well?”

“As well as someone like us can be I suppose,” he chuckled. Eren sighed and then shut the door behind them. While they moved to the sofa Eren walked off to his bedroom to grab his laptop and the files that he’d been keeping. Thankfully it seemed Krista had brought some things of her own, judging by the large case she’d walked in with. 

Returning to the front room, Eren took a seat across from them on the loveseat “I’d offer you guys coffee but, hell, I still don’t know where it is.”

Jean cocked his head to the side “Did you just get in?”

“Last night,” Eren offered “and I got this job this morning at about 9am, so I’m still learning too. This whole thing is gonna be one big shit show though I can say that much; seeing as how the Hellfire Sanct is involved. Krista, I hope you brought us something good, baby girl.”

Her smile turned devious as she popped open the case “Infrared alarms for the windows, windchimes with pin cams for the neighbors, comms for us, and a few more things up my sleeve. What’s the situation in full?”

“Death threats turned legitimate. Letters have apparently shown up at his home, his office, he’s gotten phone calls while out, and the night before came the first physical escalation. He was attacked by a knife wielding maniac. The guy shouted some psycho babble, and Levi sustained a nice slice across the calf,” Eren responded as he delivered the information.

“Got it,” Jean nodded “so why’s the good professor a target?”

Eren thought about how to word it before deciding to be a bit vague “At his discretion I can only tell you that he used to have ties to this cult as a child. I’m sure you can infer the rest.”

“Understood; those people are complete whackjobs and aren’t going to--” Krista stated before she trailed off and snickered “you guys hear that?”

“Nope but I  _ see  _ it,” Jean replied.

Groaning, Eren placed a hand to his head and rose his voice “Ugh, Levi, you can’t eavesdrop on  _ cybernets.”  _ When he said it the sound of the stairs creaking became much more apparent to them as Levi came slinking down the stairs. Dressed in a white long sleeve and a pair of emerald and navy lounge pants, Levi came up to where Eren sat on the adjacent loveseat. His eyes wandered to Krista and Jean as he stared at the plainly visible circuit pathways at their temples, collarbones, and arms.

“I just didn’t wanna interrupt,” Levi stated softly, “should I put on coffee or tea for you all?”

Krista gave him a gentle smile “Tea would be great for me, thank you.”

Both Jean and Eren answered in unison “Coffee please.” Levi stepped into the kitchen and began to prepare before joining Eren on the loveseat. “So, you guys are part of Eren’s old unit?"

“Yes, sir,” Krista beamed as she crossed the room with an extended hand “my name is Krista Reiss.” 

Following her lead, Jean shook his hand as well “Jean Kirschtein. Nice to meet you.”

“And you as well. I’m Levi Ackerman,” he responded kindly as he released Jean’s hand.

“Like the radio shrink?” Jean questioned with a bit of bewilderment.

Grinning, Levi nodded “The very same. May I ask which of you---”

“Bloodeye,” Krista chirped. 

Jean followed her introduction “Viper.”

“May I ask why?” Levi posed cautiously. He watched curiously as both engaged their ciphers and then Eren found himself snickering under his breath. Just watching how enthralled Levi was with them was a stark contrast to most people’s reactions; it was refreshing. Jean and Krista’s right eyes changed and Levi’s jaw dropped instantly. Watching as deep crimson flooded into the sclera of Krista’s baby blue eye and as a brilliant seafoam green covered Jean’s iris, the pupil splitting vertically, Levi looked absolutely ecstatic. “Ah,  _ that  _ makes sense.”

“Most do,” Jean responded “because each is unique to us and changes something about us. We each have an edge. Krista’s hearing has been enhanced tenfold, Viper enhanced my sight, and Rogue gave Eren his strength. Some names refer to what they do for us while others have standardized names.”

Levi absorbed the information and replied “I see. It’s all rather intriguing for me, so I’m sorry for any questions that may seem out of the way.”

Krista brushed it off with a kind smile “We’ve gotten worse questions. We’re protecting you, and we need to know you, so it’s alright if we return the favor. Sharing bits about ourselves helps as well.”

Eren broke in “Levi, we’re going to practically be your shadow, so you don’t need to be afraid of us hence why we’ll share whatever we have to. We need to inform Sergeant Bodt of what’s going on as well. Having the police on our side makes things a bit easier.”

“Okay, I got it. I’ll call him later on my break between classes. As for being scared, I’m not at  _ all _ scared of any of you. I’m just interested. Cybernetics are fascinating. It also makes each one of you harder to read which is all the more interesting,” Levi replied with a slight giddiness in his voice.

With a hint of laughter, Eren shook his head “Alright, Super Shrink, calm yourself. We’re just the usual fuck ups because our dad’s didn’t hug us enough.”

Krista scoffed “Yeah, that’s right. Just keep that shit to yourself please. If I wanted to be shrunk I’d have a shrink.”

“Sure,” Levi started “I take it you won’t be sitting in on any lectures then.”

Eren shook his head “No, Krista and Bloodeye are better suited for recon since her hearing helps out a lot, and Jean’s crisp vision and heat sensing also works best for scouting out danger. Rouge gave me more strength than I, or anyone, truly needs so I’m better suited to protect you by your side in case any confrontation may occur.”

“So, what, are you going to skulk around campus?” Levi asked apprehensively.

Jean was the one to answer “No, just your building. One of us will stay at the house, Krista, one will attend your classes, Eren, and one of us will keep an eye on those coming and going from the building, me.”

“Good plan,” Krista beamed “I’m just fine staying at the house. I’ll hear if anyone comes around and Eren can pass as a student probably pretty easily. If not then he just go under the guise of Levi’s lover. In case the administration asks, you could say you brought your lover in for the first hand experience of reading a cybernet. I’m sure it would be an interesting topic for your class as well. If Jean gets caught----”

_ “I won’t, _ ” Jean broke in with confidence. 

“-- Then he can say he got lost on the way to your lecture as well,” Krista finished with a glare towards Jean for interrupting her.

As Levi rose to his feet, he nodded vigorously “Krista, I believe that is a marvelous idea. It’s perfect. I’m sure I could actually present the ideas and put in a section or two about cybernetic ability inhibiting the psychological profile of someone as well as a few other things. Absolutely brilliant.”

Krista couldn’t help her smug smirk “At least _ someone _ here sees my worth. Glad to hear you’re on board, professor. Now then, Eren where exactly are we gonna st---”

“Every part of my body is rebelling at this but, since there’s no other choice, you two can stay in my apartment for the time being. I  _ just  _ signed the lease, and I haven’t spent more than one night there. All I ask it that you, please, don’t destroy it,” Eren grumbled as he thought of the two of them wreaking havoc on his new apartment.

Jean’s lips curled up deviously “You got it, Eren. You know I never pry.”

Scoffing at the blatant lie, Eren folded his arms over his chest “Even we were together you  _ still _ pried, Jean. We even shared the same fucking space! It’s basically who you are, dude. Just don’t displace all my shit, okay?”

Levi’s eyes rounded with shock as his eyes darted back and forth between Eren and Jean _ “Oh _ …. so you two….”

When Levi trailed off Krista affirmed his thought “Yeah. It made assignments pretty disgusting sometimes but also pretty hilarious.”

“It’s not like you _ had  _ to watch,” Eren retorted at Krista before addressing Levi “but don’t worry. We don’t harbor any ill will towards one another, and we work well together even if we bicker a lot.”

“Yeah, mostly we just talk shit,” Jean replied with a crooked grin.

“Sounds _ interesting.  _ If you two are going to be coming with me then please make sure that you’re ready to leave by 8am. Krista, come with me for your tea. Boys, the coffee maker is finished and there’s sugar on the counter and milk in the fridge,” Levi offered as he walked into the kitchen. Sensing something a bit off, Eren padded into the kitchen with Jean behind him but simply opted to watch as Levi moved to steep Krista’s choice of tea. Both he and Jean decided on black coffee as they moved back to the front room while Levi ascended the stairs to get some more rest.

By 7am Levi was awake again and getting ready for classes to start. Eren opted for semi-casual dress of a black mock turtleneck and a pair of jeans partnered with a pair of boots. Eren was wondering just what this lecture was going to be like. He’d never attended college and instead went into the military to escape his home life at 18 years old. In truth, he was a bit interested to attend Levi’s classes even if he was going to be doing it for hours upon hours. Sitting in the corner and watching shouldn’t be too hard. Everyone had been caught up to speed on Levi’s schedule and his obligations, as well as his various places of shopping when need be. Everything had been gone over and each of them was set up to patrol relatively quickly. 

When Levi brushed past him, Eren stopped in his tracks. The scent of his cologne was enough to draw his attention, but the way his navy suit pulled in at the waist and formed to the curves and contours of his body had his entire attention. Levi gave him a warm smile before heading into the bathroom as he’d caught him staring. The floating frames on his nose and the way his hair was pinned back out of his face were new, but he liked the look. 

_ “God _ , he’s hooked on you,” Jean whistled lowly as he stood with his back against the counter. 

Krista nudged him with a gentle elbow “How long have you two----”

“We haven’t,” Eren informed them quietly. “More importantly:  **we won’t.** We met the other night when I saved him. I’d only known him for a couple hours then. We came back here for obvious reasons after leaving the bar, but once I drew my pistol that was the end of it all.”

Jean’s amber eyes rolled back as a snort of air passed through his nostrils “You and your fucking emotional bullshit. See, Viper and I told you once, Eren, your emotion won’t cloud your senses and make you  _ weak  _ like you think it will. You and I both know that your father didn’t know shi---”

“Please, _ just stop,”  _ Eren huffed “it’s 6:30am and I really don’t care to hear your lecture when I’m gonna have to sit through several today. We’ve got a job to do so let’s just do it, okay?”

“Then turn on and go,” Krista instructed before reminding them “and you guys can’t have concealed carry on campus so leave the pea shooters here. Be careful.”

Eren cursed “Fuck. Yeah, let’s get our blades then Jean. 9am to 5pm, got it? 20 check at the top of every hour. What channel are we on, Kris?”

Krista opened the case at her feet handing out their earpieces and radios “Neutral seven. Radio in 20’s but any other chatter goes over comms, got it?”

Both nodded and answered in unison as they inserted their earpieces “Got it.” 


	5. Lectures Away

Leaving only to replace their pistols with blades, Jean and Eren sauntered off down the hall to Eren’s bedroom. When they slid their sheaths into their boots they headed back out to be met by Levi in the hallway. Briefcase in hand, Levi led the way to the door without so much as looking back to them. Jean took Eren’s car, much to his disdain, while Eren was riding shotgun with Levi. Making it look like no one was home while Krista sat in the shadows made it more likely that if someone was going to leave a letter, she could get to them.

During the ride to campus Eren practically kept his eyes scanning his route. The barely there whisper of the songs on the radio was the only sound in the car between them. It was a bit awkward, but Eren needed to stay on his toes by examining the route Levi took to work. 

Levi finally broke the silence “When we get to my classroom, please sit near the front.” Conflicting with his idea of sitting at the back corner to watch everyone and the comings and goings of the class, Eren stared over at him for a moment.

“Are you aware that it’s best if I can see the door  _ and _ everyone in the classroom?” Eren asked before clarifying. “Sitting at the front isn’t going to work for me when I need to be able to see anything and everything in that room.”

“While I understand the tactical reasoning behind the choice of your preferred seating, I want to actually  _ use _ you in my lecture, and you’ll draw less attention and cause less distraction if you sit up front,” Levi stated as he pulled into his reserved parking space in front of the towering, four story stone building known as Howell Hall. Though he knew what was best for the reasonable approach, it seemed that Levi was hell bent to refuse his reasoning. No matter, he supposed at the front of the class he’d be able to see everyone. Standing in front of them, and with Rogue, he’d be able to make up for his lack of vantage. If Jean and Krista hadn’t agreed with the stupid plan, however, he wouldn’t be having to deal with it at all. He’d really wished the idea of them pretending to be lovers hadn’t arisen.

It was hard enough to handle the unresolved sexual tension lingering and permeating the air when it was just the two of them. Now, he was going to have to lay it on thick when it was fake. The two of them wanted to be with each other, at least physically, so it was going to make their situation much more difficult. Fortunately they were both adults who could suppress their desire and do what needed to get done. 

Once they exited the vehicle, Eren switched his com on and his radio to channel seven “Viper, stay on your toes. This place is a fucking maze.”

Static filled the air before Jean’s voice came over the radio “Roger that, Rogue.” Levi looked to him curiously as he clipped the small, palm sized receiver to his shirt while the bulky system was dropped into the largest pocket of his pants. The wire cord stemming from it was easily seen but Eren had a plan for that. He’d slipped off the receiver and moved it beneath his shirt before clipping it to the inside of the neck of his shirt. After he got it settled, he fell into step with Levi’s stride and walked alongside him up to his classroom on the third floor. Inside the tier stepped room, several students were already seated and awaiting for the class to begin.

From what he could judge the place could easily hold more than a hundred students, but according to Levi’s roster there were only around 40 in the first class. Of course, it was going to start at 9am. What college kid in their right mind wanted any class at 9am let alone such a heavy subject? Eren took his seat on the aisle of the first row in front of Levi’s podium. Watching him get ready and move things about over at his desk was interesting. He assumed that he was taking roll as several more students filed in. 

Disrupting the class just before it would begin, Jean’s voice came over the radio “What’s your 20, Rogue?”

Pressing the receiver, as Levi stared with an obviously disgruntled expression, Eren replied “Lecture, Viper, yours?”

“Ground Scouting,” Jean replied.

“Roger, Viper. Bloodeye?” Eren asked.

“All quiet on the home front,” came her quick reply.

Eren nodded to himself “Roger that, Bloodeye. Static ETA 1 Hour.” As Jean and Krista cut in with their affirmative responses, he could hear students from around the room chattering and muttering amongst themselves.

Levi’s commanding voice demanded Eren’s attention “Eren. You mind?”

“Keep your panties out of a bunch,  _ professor.  _ It’s static for the duration of your class,” Eren teased with a smirk. He’d elicited a nice giggle or two from the student body which was his aim. A good reputation now meant when he stood up they were more likely to not be smarmy little assholes. Levi’s eyes rolled as he stepped back over to the computer to finish taking roll. When the clock hit 9am Levi strode effortlessly to the door and locked it before taking his place at his podium and raising his voice.

“Good morning, everyone. Today we’re going to be taking a bit of a detour from your syllabus. We’ve covered how certain people are more adept at hiding their true intent and how there are those of us who are naturals at determining behavior and discovering lies. Today we get to see what happens when two minds inhabit the same body. Can you truly discover what someone is thinking, discover their intent, their lies, their behavior pathology, when they aren’t alone?” His words were satiny and alluring matching the tone of his voice perfectly. It was easy to see how the kids in the class could listen to him for almost two hours. Gesturing towards Eren with an open palm, Levi smiled “Eren, would you mind coming up here, please?” Rising to his feet, Eren nodded and moved to stand at Levi’s left. “Look to the left for me, if you would, please.” Obeying his simple direction, Eren brushed his hair back and stared towards the door. Almost instantly he could hear the whispers of students. Levi cut them short, however, and posed the question “How would we be able to discern what Eren has told us is fact or fiction? How could we tell his behavioral pattern when he’s not alone?”

A brave student, a young blonde girl, rose her hand “His facial expressions, his body language, and perhaps the tone and pitch of his voice?”

“Good ideas, Krislynn, but what if they conflict? Let’s say Eren thinks one thing and the voice in his head another. How would you be able to separate the two? It makes sense that with a Ci-Soldier’s training they’re nearly impossible to read,” Levi stated firmly. Unable to prevent it, Eren started laughing at Levi’s statement. It was a bit too politically correct for him. Levi’s brows knit as he turned skeptically towards Eren “Something amusing to you?”

“You can call me a cybernet or a cyborg, Levi. I don’t take offense and, to be honest, none of us really do,” Eren smiled through his laughter.

Levi’s expression fell momentarily “Excuse me then. I apologize if it made you uncomfortable. Anyhow, would you mind playing with me, Eren?”

Teasing tone filling in his words, Eren held Levi’s gaze “Oh, you know I’m  _ always  _ up for that. Should _ he _ join us?”

“If you’d feel okay with that after the basics. Now, I’m going to ask you how you feel about some things via word association. You know how this works, yes? I’m going to give you a word, and I want you to tell me the first emotion you have to the word. Feel free to try to lie to me,” Levi challenged with a smug grin. Eren knew he was standing on Levi’s stage, and there was hardly anyone better at this than he was. 

Eren gave a nod “Alright, sounds easy enough. Hit me.”

“Whiskey,” Levi stated.

“Adoration,” Eren replied quickly.

Levi stifled a laugh before he turned to his students “Anyone want to take a shot?”

From the back of the classroom, a young man in bright, safety cone orange piped up “Telling the truth.”

“Ding,” Levi chuckled “you’re correct. Eren loves whiskey. That was an easy one for me because I already knew that. Eren, the color red.”

“Alarm,” Eren offered.

Someone blurted out on the front row “I think he’s lying.”

Levi’s grin broadened “Good, Stephan. Why?”

“Judging by his posture and the way his fingers began to move…. He almost seemed eager or like he was anticipating something,” the student, Stephan, answered.

Eren was a bit surprised as he nodded “Very good. Red makes me think of blood which makes me eager to jump to action.”

“So, while the initial bodily response is different than your stated emotion, it appears you’re much more complex than simplistic calls to emotion. For you, red symbolizes blood which triggers your training. Both alarm and being eager are correct though one can be misread for the other,” Levi stated flatly as he spoke to his students. “This is where people trip up. You cannot use this method with people whose psyche’s are far off from the average person. Eren, if I refer to the situation in which we met under, what would you think of the man you spoke to for me? Don’t answer aloud.”

A student rose their hand and Levi nodded, giving them the floor “His nostrils flared, his eyes dilated, and his lip snarled upwards at the righthand corner. He’s showing signs of contempt and disgust.”

Eren chuckled “Damn, here I was hoping that I could hold a straight face.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Levi responded.

Without even a call, a student on the front row laughed “Eyebrow raise, mouth open slightly, soft exhale. Professor Ackerman, you were surprised and happy at his response. Pleasantly surprised, perhaps?”

Unable to refute the claim, Levi looked to his nosy student “Correct. I was, but I didn’t say you were supposed to be reading  _ me.” _

“To be fair you didn’t say they couldn’t either,” Eren commented. “If I said Rogue said,” the next moment Eren placed his hand on Levi’s hip and whispered seductively into his ear “that you have an absolutely  _ beautiful  _ figure in that suit, what would you think?”

As Levi stared, a student giggled “A momentary attempt to slightly distance himself, surprise in rounded eyes and lifted brows, cheeks flushed and breathing stunted: he’s embarrassed.”

“Good,” Eren snickered as he looked out to the students “I was trying.”

**“Eren,”** Levi reprimanded.

Shrugging, Eren held up his hands defensively in front of his chest “Oh, what? You’re the one that asked to play.” Addressing the students, Eren asked “How many of you know what happens to cyborgs?”

“Didn’t you get implanted with tech that makes you faster, enhances the senses, and  _ other _ stuff?” One student answered with another question. Pulling the radio out and placing it onto the nearby desk, Eren pulled his shirt over his head and turned his back to his students showing the suture scars down the entire right side of his spine, the scar at his nape, and the longest piece of circuit which covered his spine. 

“Yes and no,” he responded before turning to show all the open pathways on his skin. “I had a surgery to implant the basic technology into my nervous system. They cut along my spine in order to replace some of the nerves and discs. I have an implant at the nape of my neck along with the inserted nanobyte circuitry paths over the right side of my body. My cipher’s name is Rogue; he’s an AI who exists solely in my head. He trained me, my body, we fought and I learned. He enhanced my strength specifically. My specialty is hand to hand combat, but he gave me that through the implants in my body and trained me to be able to utilize the true potential of my body. Our link is unique, as are all ciphers. If given the right incentive he can access my thoughts, my memories, control my right side, and even hack anything with a wireless signal.”

One excited student’s glittering eyes caught his own “Can we see it!? What’s it like, the voice?”

“It’s like having a sentient consciousness who’s a _ real  _ asshole,” Eren stated with a laugh. Hitting the button behind his ear, Eren took a moment and opened his eye. The students gasped and muttered as Eren called out “Rogue?”

“Yeah?” Came Rogue’s tired voice.

“Be nice to the class,” Eren warned “Levi’s helping them learn how to read people.”

Rogue asked “You think he can’t read you if I’m active?”

“No, I think they can all read us both but won’t be able to tell who thinks what since they can’t hear you and I can,” Eren offered.

_ “Fun,”  _ Rogue responded with a hint of obvious distaste.

Levi was still unaccustomed to the sight and had to clear his throat before returning from his thoughts to address Rogue “Okay, Rogue, good to see you again.”

“Tell him he looks better and how’s his leg?”

Eren sighed for a moment before he smirked “His leg is fine. He says you look nice today.”

Responding, Levi nodded “Thank you, Rogue, and, yes, I’m fine.”

“His heat signature increased. He does like you and, please, tell me you’ve seen the way he’s staring at you. It’s like he’s got a neon sign over his head that says he wants to fu---”

“For once,  _ shut the fuck up  _ Rogue. I don’t need to hear that this early in the morning,” he chastised as students laughed as his, seemingly one sided, argument.

_ “Boys,”  _ Levi called “go easy on each other. Now, if I say the military is a bunch of baby killing extremists who only want to use a political agenda to test their dogs and experiments what happens?” Eren’s chest ached. He’d heard that one before, but he was never prepared to actually hear it from the mouths of people he knew. Sometimes it momentarily struck a chord.

A student answered Levi’s question “His right hand clenched, his eyebrows drew together, but his lips pulled down at the corners.”

Levi looked to the student “So you’re saying anger and sadness were present?” When Eren nodded solemnly, Levi asked softly “Rogue felt the anger but, Eren, you were sad. Why is that?”

“I spent nine, almost ten, years devoting my life for people, and it saddens me to think that it’s all some people think about me after the sacrifices I made to protect them and their rights. I’ve killed no women, no children, and no one who did not threaten my safety, that of my team, or the population’s. It hurts to think that there are some people in this country who will only see me as a bad science project, or a killing machine, and not a defender of their country. I don’t even truly know if they understand it all,” Eren explained with a hint of lament in his voice though it was far more than evident on his face.

Feeling it resonate, Levi bit his lip and then addressed Rogue “I’m sorry, Eren. Will you allow Rogue to explain his stance?”

Eren thought for a moment “I’m a bit hesitant to give him complete control as he’s not exactly  _ appropriate _ . If your students can handle it I’ll let him.” The students readily begged for him to allow it, and Eren couldn’t help but feel a little joy at that. They truly were interested. The newer generation seemed much more accepting of him and those people like him who were different. It was a nice feeling, to feel accepted, so he allowed Rogue to take control. The circuit paths began to glow as he approached the whiteboard. Taking a marker, Eren began to write but looked back at Levi while Rogue was the one writing.

“I’m angry because Eren has sacrificed so much, endured absolute hell, for these people only to be glowered at like he’s a monster. People wanted better fucking soldiers and they goddamn got it, along with all the death they signed up for. They didn’t truly understand what had to happen for it. They could say they did and say it was for the greater good, but they’re cowards who lack a spine to deliver their own body for a war they want yet refuse to admit it. When we returned from the battlefield, they were suddenly against everything they’d asked for and treated Eren like hell. I’m angry because he deserves better. On another note, Levi, I sincerely hope that you and Eren will finally admit that you two----”

**“WHOA!”** Eren exclaimed as he turned to read the board before shutting off the circuits to his body. “I give you a platform and _ this _ what I get in return? Keep it to yourself, Rogue.” As he reached up, Eren erased the last half and left his explanation. Inside his head he could hear Rogue’s chilling laughter echoing around. Eren grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, considering he was pretty sure this demonstration was over. The expression on Levi’s face was one of embarrassment and confusion. All the kids around the classroom seemed beyond curious at what was due to come next in Rogue’s writings. 

One bold, likely daft, soul raised his hand “Professor Ackerman, you never really told us  _ exactly _ how you and Eren know each other.”

Staring at the kid, Levi rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses up “I’m training you all to read people and you can’t tell? I must be an  _ exceptionally _ poor instructor.” Knowing that he had to finally play his role, Eren placed a hand on Levi’s hip and reached up to turn Rogue off. 

Running his fingers back through Levi’s hair, Eren replied “C’mon, Levi, you’re not a bad instructor.” Wrapping around him in a gentle embrace, Levi rested his head against his chest. A bit surprised, Eren leaned down to whisper into his head “Are you really sure _ this _ is how you want to play it? It’s not going to be easy.”

Pulling away, Levi reached up to Eren’s jaw before sliding his fingertips up to the button behind Eren’s ear “Rogue, would you please tell Eren that he’s being an idiot?”

Rogue laughed “Oh, Eren, I believe you may have finally met your match with this one. I believe I like him.”

Sighing, Eren shook his head “You’re both absolutely incorrigible. Look at me like that and I’ll suddenly forget our surroundings, doll.”

At that moment it seemed to dawn on the students the nature of their, fake, relationship causing Levi to groan “You’re making me regret my choices in companionship a little more each hour.”

“Now,” Eren spoke loudly, commanding all the students’ attention “are you satisfied knowing that your lie detecting professor has a love life?”

One student cringed as she gestured to him “But, like, you’re like two people?”

Eren shrugged “Makes things interesting I suppose. Talk about multiple personalities, huh? Class is over now, so go laugh in the halls or something. Do whatever college kids do outside class.” As the class began to empty out, Eren grabbed his radio and let Jean and Krista know things were still good and he’d be in lecture for another few hours. It seemed things were solid on their front, and so things moved on. Levi, however, seemed to be holding onto something since he’d met Jean and Krista.

Levi scowled and looked to Eren as he sat in front of him “Why didn’t it work out with Jean?”

Taken completely off guard, Eren stared  _ “Huh?!” _

“You two….I can kinda see it oddly enough. I mean, you two are pretty similar so why didn’t it go any further?” Levi pried.

“We fight a lot,” Eren answered “when we’re stuck together for too long, and we weren’t  _ exactly... _ in a relationship, Levi. I stopped whatever it was for the same reason that I can’t honestly become involved with you: it could get us killed. If I’m emotionally involved then I may lose my ability to rationalize---”

Levi scoffed “Wow, you _ actually  _ used that on him? Shitty move. You’re protecting me, Eren. I’d say that it’d strengthen your urge to do so.”

Rogue echoed in his head “He’s right, Eren. As you so kindly remind me, quite often, this isn’t war. I know you want this; I can feel it. Trust me to keep you grounded for once.”

“Not sure that’s a good idea, Rogue,” Eren replied in an almost whisper.

Again, Levi addressed Rogue “Tell him he’s a fucking idiot.”

Before Eren could respond a familiar voice chimed in from the doorway “No shock there. Eren, go stretch your legs. I’d like to speak with the professor.”


	6. New Interest, Old Rules

Eren scoffed as he got to his feet, still arguing with Rogue as he slipped past Jean in the doorway. He’d huffed as he practically stomped out leaving Jean and Levi alone in the room. Jean had heard the last few minutes of their conversation and felt a bit badly about the fact Levi would never get what he wanted to hear from Eren. Only one other person had the story about he and Eren, and it was him. If he could just set Levi at ease then he’d try his best even if it wasn’t necessarily his forte. There was something that he had to explain to Levi no matter how much he didn’t want to believe it.

Jean swiftly met Levi at the desk in the front of the room “I can see it, you know, your  _ blatant _ attraction to him. Don’t be weird about it just because he and I slept together a few times.”

“Okay,” Levi sighed “but did he  _ really _ use that emotions shit on you as an excuse?”

Nodding, Jean explained “Yes. It was a good thing that he did at the time. What Eren and I had was purely physical. In the horrors of war, when things hit home, you seek out comfort in whatever you can. Eren and I found it in each other. We went a little further than just comforting words, but before we got swept away we stopped. We had to keep our wits about us out there. If you feel attracted to him then there isn’t much that you can do about it. The danger you face is real, Levi, and he’s attempting to show that he cares by being at his best….even if that isn’t what _ you  _ want most. Don’t ask him to compromise his values when it’s the highest form of him showing you that you matter to him.”

_ “But---” _

“Trust me,” Jean interrupted “he wants you _ just  _ as badly. It’s hard for him to do this too. Take it easy on him. There are scars under the surface you know nothing about, and in time you may come to understand. Eren’s been deeply twisted around for years. For now, just take everything he does, or says, with a grain of salt.” Seeing that class was beginning, as more students began to file into the classroom, Jean turned on his heels and walked out of the room just as Eren had returned. He raised a hand over his head in a goodbye and headed back out to patrol. 

Sitting through another couple hours of lecture, Eren repeated his actions with Levi and his class while fighting through each piece. He’d wondered what Jean had told Levi, and why Levi hadn’t even brought up that conversation again. Something seemed off, but the air between them no longer seemed stifling. At the end of it all was going well and then came the office hours. A couple of students stopped by, but it wasn’t just them that had decided to take advantage of the office hours. Jean had to be pulled from his surveillance in order to meet their ally. 

When Jean walked through the office door to be met with Sergeant Bodt, Eren thought he was about to drool all over himself. He could practically see the hearts dancing around in his eyes. Scanning his eyes over the tall, tanned, freckled officer, Jean walked around him and shivered before outstretching his hand.

“Seems we have yet to meet,” he grinned as his voice silkened “my name is Jean Kirschtein. You can call me Viper if you prefer. And  _ you  _ are?”

“Police Sergeant Marco Bodt,” he offered with a firm handshake “and I believe I’ll stick to Mr. Kirschtein if you don’t mind.”

Eren rolled his eyes “Excuse him, he’s got an eye for pretty things. Sergeant, we called you here to tell you we’ll be handling personal security detail for Levi. If one of those nutcases comes back, they’ll be handled, and you’ll be called. We’ll do the best of our ability to stay within the bounds of the law. Unless Levi is in danger then there will be no use of deadly force. Of that, I give you my word.”

“Good,” Marco responded “because I’d hate to have to arrest you.” It was then, as Marco chuckled with a soft, airy sound, that Eren noticed the golden glare off his eye. That golden glint was dead give away to anything out of the ordinary.

Calling him out on it, Eren gestured to his face “Your right eye….it’s  _ bionic?” _

Nodding, Marco affirmed his suspicion “It is. I got into an accident when I was in the military. I lost my eye and some nerves on my right side. I came to work for the project not long after. Medical advancements have surely come a long way.”

Jean smirked “Oh, so you’ve got hardware too. Hmmm, I’ve never slept with a bionic before.”

“And you probably  _ won’t _ either with a mouth like that,” Marco cringed. “Has his cipher fried his brain?”

Just to demonstrate, Jean switched on Viper and ran his tongue over his canines “Hmm, nope. Viper keeps me alive and very well. Ohoho, lookie there. Sergeant, you’ve got titanium in you and, what’s that, a couple nanobyte fibers? You did get _awfully_ messed up in that accident.”

Marco blinked in surprise before nodding “Yes, I did. Interesting cipher you have there. I hope you use that sight for something other than staring through my clothes. If that’s all, gentlemen, I believe I’ll be on my way. I’ll have the patrol unit stationed out front pulled now that you’ve got the A-Team with you, Levi. I’ll see you around, Eren….. _ Mr. Kirschtein.” _ As he put his hat on, he went the long way around the room simply to avoid Jean. In point, Jean couldn’t help but snap his jaw in a bite, the sound echoing across the room. 

“You just couldn’t resist screwing with him could you?” Eren sighed with his fingers massaging his own temples.

“I just wanted to see how he’d react,” Jean shrugged “besides, you warned him that I like pretty things. He should have known that’d include him.”

Levi cut in “Jean, that was so cringeworthy I think I still feel ill. I’ve known Marco for years. If you want in his pants you’ve gotta be--- No, I think I’ll keep that secret.”

Pouting, Jean huffed “Dude. Not fair. I said what I did, so you owe me one. Spill it.”

“Fine, he likes sweet but aggressive. He wants a challenge, and don’t be fooled by that cute face. He’ll chew you up and spit you out if you aren’t enough for him,” Levi warned with a smile. “So, just keep trying but in a different way. Corner him, like the _ snake _ that you are, and watch what happens. You will see a whole new side to ‘boy wonder.’”

“Sounds delightful,” Jean chirped pleasantly “so, are we ready to go home, yet?”

“I have an hour left,” Levi stated “but soon.” Jean decided to make some more rounds so that he wouldn’t feel so cooped up inside the office, but Eren decided to hold to his seat. There wasn’t much time left anyhow, so it wasn’t like sitting there was going to kill him or anything. Waiting wasn’t so bad although the drive back was rather awkward as the silence between them became anything but comfortable. Eren just tried to ignore it by turning up the radio and enjoying the classic rock that was streaming through the speakers. Levi, on the other hand, seemed more content in being hyper aware of everything to the point of flinching when he moved to turn the volume a bit.

After arriving back to Levi’s, Eren went to grab his uniform and throw it on quickly. He was on a swing shift that was between both night shift and day shift. It was annoying, but it was the only shift that would currently allow him to keep his two week’s notice. Leaving Levi to Jean, Eren departed and made for the hospital where his off shift would begin. On the drive there he began to contemplate the day’s events and hoped that every day wasn’t going to feel as stagnant and stale when the two of them were left together. Things had changed after Jean spoke with Levi but, maybe it was just Eren, things still felt strange and awkward as if there was a wall of tension between them. He knew that he’d have to acknowledge his concerns before it spiraled out of control.

While at work, he began to understand why no one wanted a swing shift. He was busy for once. People were coming and going at a steady influx meaning that he was going to have to sit behind his desk and scan in people. Retrieving ID’s for printed and scannable badges, Eren spent several hours waving in visitors for the hospital before he was stretching his legs and making rounds. Scolding people for still smoking in the parking deck wasn’t how he imagined his rounds as most of the time there weren’t many souls brave enough to stay out there in the dark. Now, Eren was kept on his toes with the new shift, but it also meant that by the time he got back to Levi’s he was ready to collapse.

He relieved Jean of his watch duties, which consisted of him lazing about on the sofa as Levi slept, and sent him back to his apartment. The thought of Jean and Krista in the same apartment was a bit hilarious to think on, but he didn’t have time for that. He wasn’t going to be getting much sleep on the schedule that he was currently on and so he opted for a quick shower before bed. Figuring out Levi’s shower was, thankfully, rather easy and the water pressure felt fantastic on his achy muscles. The heat of the water relaxed him to a degree that he believed he might actually be able to sleep once he got to the bedroom.

Unfortunately, a sound prevented him from doing much more than drying his hair in the bedroom. As he was wildly thrashing around while drying his hair, he heard footsteps that were heavier than normal. Levi stepped around not unlike a cat, light on his feet barely making a sound unless he stepped on a creaky board. This was shuffling and a bit heavy so before even pulling on any more clothing than his boxers, Eren called to Rogue as he pressed the button.

“Rogue--”

Before he could ask Rogue answered “It’s just Levi; he likely can’t sleep which is why he’s shuffling around so loudly. You should go check on him….you  _ know _ that you want to. You can’t lie to the voice inside your head.” 

Grumbling, Eren replied “Shut up, Rogue.” Swiftly turning off the function, Eren draped his towel around his shoulders and sauntered out of the bedroom quietly. Attempting to dry the ends of his hair, so it wouldn’t drip, he began to towel off the ends as he walked into the kitchen. Standing at the sink, Levi was dressed in his usual plaid lounge pants and white long sleeve. “It’s late,” Eren announced as he looked to Levi “what are you doing awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Levi answered as was filling the kettle with water before he sat it atop the stove and turned to face Eren. He carefully flipped on the eye and inquired “Did you just get in?”

“Yeah, it's not my regular shift, but I’m on it until I leave,” Eren sighed as he dropped the towel around him. 

Levi chewed on the edge of his lip before speaking softly “Thank you, Eren….I haven’t really said that yet. You dropped everything for me and yet you’ve only known me for around three days now.  You just…. _ thanks.” _ The awkward tone rising in his voice as he rubbed the back of his neck made Eren realize this was probably the time for the rest of their conversation. 

Stepping closer, Eren reached out only to retract before his fingertips grazed Levi’s jaw “You needed my help. Time is of no value in that choice. We both know that things would be  _ different  _ if you didn’t need my help.” Eren walked up to the counter and made sure that he held Levi’s gaze as his next words were important “Levi, I want to act on what I feel and you know that,  _ right? _ But I can’t. Not now. I have a job to do, and I need to be able to do it to the best of my abilities.  In order to protect you, I need to think only of that and every possible way to keep you from getting hurt. I just want-- no, I  _ need  _ you to know that I’m not sitting on my hands because it’s what I want.”

“I know,” Levi replied with a forced, hollow half smile “and I’m sorry for bringing it up the way I did. Thank you for thinking of my safety first.”

Eren gave a slight nod before his lips curled into a grin “You’re welcome, but you wanna know a secret? Rogue told me he likes you.”

“Haha,” Levi snickered “I feel so honored.”

As the kettle began to whistle, Eren grabbed a potholder and lifted it gently “You should. Now, how about some tea and then you go off to bed?”

“Will you sit with me?” Levi asked softly.

Eren nodded as he took the tea infuser and cup from Levi’s hands as he poured the boiling water over it “Sure, I don’t mind. I’m probably going to be up for a little longer anyhow.” Levi smiled gently as if that one thing had meant more to him than the world itself. He hated that he had to see that rare sight and couldn’t act on the feelings he harbored for Levi. Instead, he was sitting on the sofa watching Wild China as Levi’s tea steeped. Honestly, he found himself enjoying it a little too much.

It was just too sweet to completely ignore. Levi’s feet were pulled up onto the sofa, knees to his chest, both hands around his mug as he became lost into the documentary. True, it was an interesting documentary, but he couldn’t help watching Levi. Sitting there in the early hours of the morning with him watching a documentary as he quietly sipped his tea, darting his tongue out to test the heat by the steam, made Eren feel as though this was what he was missing out on. Part of him just wanted to grab him and pull him into his chest as they watched but that was too potent to be thinking of. 

When Levi finished his chamomile tea he slowly rose from the sofa and turned off the television plunging them into darkness. Only the path to the hallway was lit dimly by the warmth of the kitchen stove’s light. Neither of them said more than a simple “goodnight” before heading off to their respective bedrooms. On his way back to the bedroom, Eren shut off the kitchen light and then hoped that he’d be able to finally rest. Getting a couple of hours of sleep was certainly better than none so he took his medication and made for bed.

Come morning he fell into a comfortable schedule. Seeing Levi up and dressed sharply in his suit with his hair pinned away from his face and his glasses perched daintily atop the bridge of his nose made his morning. It was good to see that he wasn’t letting what Eren said get to him. Quite unfortunately, however, Eren seemed to be the one who was letting it get to him. Jean arrived to drop Krista off at the house and then he was driving off ahead of them to the campus. Eren and Levi left shortly after once Levi had a thermos of tea ready at his side.

During the car ride there, it still bothered Eren that he was feeling the way he was. It seemed that he was hyper aware of every little sigh or flutter of Levi’s eyelashes. From the way his fingertips tapped along to the beat of the song on the steering wheel, to the way his hips had a perfect little shake when he walked, or even the way he adjusted his glasses: Eren was lost in it. He was so focused on Levi it was hard to focus on anything else entirely. Even as his classes passed by and his students learned that Eren was sitting in, for specific reasons he chose to not disclose, Eren was more focused on Levi teaching than the kids in the room. Not even the sound of the heavy wooden door slamming shut distracted him from studying Levi’s profile and how beautifully elegant the sharp features of his face were.

Immediately after class and Levi’s office hours Eren was heading to work. From 5pm to 1am he was kept busy, but still not busy enough to keep his mind from drifting to Levi and if he was doing alright, if he was actually getting some sleep, and if Jean was still on his toes in case something happened. Being so caught up in Levi meant that his mind wasn’t focused on his surroundings or he wasn’t being as cautious as he should be when he went out. Parts of him reminded him after a little bit of spacing out that he needed to be focusing elsewhere, and even Rogue had to remind him several times that he needed to be focused. After a couple of days of back and forth, Eren hoped that it would get better. 

It didn’t. The days with Levi were hard and everything seemed to ache when he got home. Time to himself was spent being worried and thinking about Krista’s reports. She’d sent him the information from the chime pin camera about the neighbor’s routines. So far she’d seen or heard nothing suspicious. It was frustrating that they were making no progress in finding out who had been leaving him the threatening notes or phone calls, but in a way it was a good thing that no one was threatening Levi again. If this kept up things could go back to normal.

He began to wonder if Levi would declare a cease and desist call to end everything since he seemed to be in no danger. He’d really hoped that wasn’t going to be the call. Apparently, Levi didn’t think he was out in the clear yet and so on his Friday radio segment he began to wonder about who was going to go with him. Of course Eren was going, he had to be practically stuck to him, but the second guest would be Krista. It would be hard to hear in a soundproof box and thus her enhanced hearing would be far more useful there. Jean wasn’t happy about sitting it out and staying stuck at the house, but he soon got over it when he learned that Marco was stopping by with something for Eren.

At the radio station Eren looked to Krista “Are you good?”

“Yeah, perfect,” she stated brightly.

“Good, then ciphers on and let’s do our job,” he commanded as he turned Rogue on. The moment Bloodeye was activated Krista moved to the back of the building and left Eren alone in the sound booth watching over Levi from behind the glass. Listening to the current segment sent him whirling. His gut twisted and he found himself nearly nauseous at some poor young woman asking if a man was interested in her or simply leading her on by making excuses not to see her or be intimate. Eren took the punch to the chest as he listened in on the subject and tried to not let himself see the parallels in what he was doing to Levi. 

It wasn’t hard to see them either. Saying that he was doing it for the greater good of some other reason was apparently a key indicator that he was simply leading the young woman on. Listening to Levi decode every piece of the man’s behavior was no longer interesting or entertaining. It hit too close to home now. Having to watch him day in and day out for hours was beginning to weigh too heavily on him. 

“Dammit, Eren,” Rogue began “I think you’re smoking. Do you understand how distracted and antsy you are right now? Would you just admit that you’re going to lose it if you keep this up?”

_ “Can’t” _ came Eren’s quick response “I need to stay on my toes and that means I’m going to have to distance myself. These people could be anyone and show up out of anywhere.”

“And I’ll know if they do,” Rogue stated. “Eren, I may be a separate entity from you, but I am also a _ part  _ of you. I know when you’re _hurting,_ Eren. Watching him all the time knowing you can’t do anything about it is driving you up the fucking wall. I can feel your frustration and the ache you feel each time he smiles at you so sweetly. You’re the  _ only _ person he does that to. Every move he makes you're watching so closely, and we both know that it isn't because you're looking for threats; you're looking at him and only him.”

“So what, Rogue? I can handle it,” Eren snapped quickly. “Dogs are trained everyday to balance a treat on their nose. Just because I want him, and I see him, doesn’t mean I can have him.”

“I’m saying that not acting is making you paranoid, jumpy, nervous, and anxious. You’re focusing alright, on his  _ ass. _ You’re not in it, Eren, and the quicker you see that the quicker you’ll be able to get back to doing your job. You haven’t been this distracted on the job since Jean got naked in Fallujah a couple years back. At this point, Eren, it might be  _ better  _ if you did act on your urge so you could get back to being at peak performance,” Rogue reminded as he reprimanded him for his actions.

Eren huffed “Whatever, Rogue, I’ll be just fine. I can do my job.” The conversation ended with those words, and Eren had to prove that he could do just that. Keeping a watch on the doors and the people coming and going was a little difficult but with Krista and Bloodeye’s reports every 20 minutes, things progressed smoothly. The radio segment ended with a quick phone call to put all the problems at rest. 

Of course it didn’t exactly end in the best way, the man admitting to stringing her along for the fun of it, but she was then free of the man and his ill will. In a way he supposed it actually did end well even if it wasn’t the way the woman had planned. She’d likely bounce back, but Eren began to wonder if Levi was going to. Judging from the look on his face, he’d connected their situation as well. If that was the case then Eren knew things were going to get a little more difficult. The last thing he needed was his mind to be focusing on that anymore than it already was.


	7. Glorious Revelations

Back at home, Eren was going in for a late night by working his regular shift which threw his body for a loop. He was tired and groggy and he wanted more than anything to go back to Levi’s and sleep. Wondering around a nearly silent hospital wasn’t making his drowsiness any better. His head was pounding and the sounds of the mechanisms of the heavy doors opening and closing from the scan of his badge was more than annoying, it was biting. Not even coffee seemed to help the irritation or the haze that he felt clouding his mind.

“You look like  _ shit,” _ came the voice around 6am that brought Eren’s attention back to the job at hand. Whipping his head around he was met with Mikasa’s deeply furrowed brow.

He sighed and chuckled “Haha, good to see you too.”

Poking a prodding finger into his cheek, she huffed “Have you been getting enough sleep? These bags under your eyes are just going to get worse if you don’t.”

“I’ll be alright,” he mumbled through a yawn. “Not my first time without enough sleep. I’ve only got two more hours on shift.”

“Are you taking your medication, Eren?” She posed with her hands on her hips. “Because if you were, you’d probably not be so bad off.”

Eren groaned “Thanks  _ mom,  _ I’m taking them when I have to. Lately they’ve been stretched out more than you’d probably like, but at least I’m taking them. I’m just on a strange schedule right now.”

“Yeah, you should be taking them at the times I fucking told you to or it’s going to throw your system out of whack. You know the drill by now! You’ll get headaches, you won’t be able to think clearly because you’ll be too sensitive to noise and light, and knowing you you’ll not stay with one thing for too long. You have to take those or your body may begin to reject your implants. Speaking of failing, I heard you’re quitting,” Mikasa stated with clear disdain as she switched topics.

“I am,” Eren replied casually “I found something better. It’s a little dangerous but, hey, wasn’t that what I was  _ made  _ for? I thank you for the job, really, but I can’t turn this down. Let’s just say it popped up. I can already feel the effects of the med imbalance, but can it really make it this hard to focus?”

“Maybe you’re just not focusing on the right things,” she sighed “but just promise me you’ll be careful. You may be a cyborg but you’re not immortal. Take your meds, Eren, your body can’t go without them. Don’t make me get mom involved.”

Eren held up his hands in front of his chest “Ouch, throwing out the mom card, Mika? You  _ must  _ be desperate. Okay, I promise I’ll take them as soon as I get home. I’ll be going to bed then, so should I take the other dose when I get up?”

“That’d be okay just make sure the times are appropriate. Your schedule has always been backwards. Just be careful,” she warned before her pager began to beep cacophonously. Eren cringed at the sharp trills and she gave him a playful shove “Alright, I’ve been summoned. Be good, little brother.”

“Yes ma’am, Dr. Ackerman,” Eren chuckled before turning and continuing his rounds. There wasn’t much left to do so he grabbed another coffee from the lounge and got to it. Maybe seeing his sister was enough of a lift to get him through the rest of the shift. He had to admit that he didn’t think his medication was to blame for his focusing of all possible attention on Levi. Even he began to come to terms with the fact everything was going to absolute hell. He wasn’t blind in terms of either sight or his own emotions. 

As much as he didn’t want to be, it felt like his emotions were winning the war they’d been waging on his focus. The thoughts felt as corrosive as acid when it came to mind that perhaps this _ was  _ truly the root of the problem. Pretending he was okay by ignoring his feelings wasn’t the path to walk. Showing a little more compassion and not being afraid to show them might be easier than trying to hold them back completely. Professional lines weren’t exactly lain. It wasn’t like this was a contract he’d been hired for. Hell, the only reason Levi knew to call him was because of their desire to rip one another’s clothing off.

By the time Eren was driving home, in Levi’s car nonetheless, the scent of his cologne began to waft to his nostrils. It only further cemented his ideas to be a little less rigid with his ideas and practice. Krista and Jean both were having fun and managing to be laid back whereas Eren was going to jump at a strong gust of wind he was wound so tightly. When he got back, he laughed to himself at how Jean was stretched out across the sofa with the left side of his body draping off it. He did always sprawl out in his sleep. A couple of years seemed to have made no difference.

Waking up Jean was a bit fun, but that wasn’t what made him smile the most. Levi’s sleep heavy steps sounded from behind him as he offered out a mug.

“Coffee?” He mumbled groggily.

Eren took it with a nod and leaned over to brush the hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear “Yeah, thanks. I’m gonna get a shower and try to catch some sleep for a couple hours. If you need me come get me, okay? The door is always open.” Levi’s eyes had blown so wide he’d have thought he scared an owl. It seemed the sweet action had taken him off guard, but he was just returning the favor. To Eren, it seemed that Levi had been waiting up to deliver that coffee since Levi didn’t even really drink coffee and it wasn’t piping hot. He’d made it a little bit ago and had been up waiting for him to get home. Being just as surprised, Eren thought it only fair to act in kind. No one else would remember it anyway.

After a shower, he climbed into bed and took his medication as he’d promised, but his next dose wouldn’t be until 11pm when he’d likely be going to sleep again. Ignoring Mikasa’s words, he figured it’d just be best to take it at the times he was used to being up and the times he was used to being asleep rather than adjust it to the off day. A couple hours wasn’t going to rewire him and neither was taking the next dose of his pills. It’d be just enough to keep his headache down from sleep deprivation. With only 4 hours under his belt, he drug himself out of bed around noon when he heard footsteps coming near the door. Before he could sense them coming any closer, however, they were retreating back the way they’d come. Had Levi come to ask something then decided not to?

Getting out of bed, Eren threw on a pair of grey sweats and headed out to the front room. Levi was sitting on the sofa with his nose buried in paperwork. He was guessing it was the paper he’d assigned his students a couple of days ago. Deciding to sit down in the armchair near Levi, Eren quietly took his seat.

Perking up from his reading, not unlike a little meerkat from its burrow, Levi looked up to see Eren “Oh, I didn’t expect you up for a bit.”

Eren shrugged “I need to be able to sleep tonight and tomorrow in order to get up as early as we need. Did you need something earlier?”

Once again, Levi’s expression turned owlish _“I--I, uh,---”_

“I’m sorry,” Eren blurted “I just heard footsteps, so I assumed you may have needed something.” He knew the moment he saw the flush tint Levi’s cheeks that he may have crossed a line. Of course, it wasn’t natural for someone to just call out something like footsteps. He could have been going into his study for all he knew. 

Levi removed his glasses and sat them on the coffee table in front of him “No, I was contemplating on waking you to ask if you were hungry. I saw you were still asleep, and I didn’t want to wake you. I know you had to have been so tired being on the move constantly. In fact, I kinda made breakfast for you if you’re hungry.” He gestured over to the kitchen counter and Eren blinked slowly. How in hell did he deserve breakfast?

Getting to his feet, Eren replied in amazement “You didn’t have to do that, Levi, or wait up to fuel my coffee addiction this morning. I appreciate it though.” For a moment he figured if he should do something else rather than just get up and eat, so he decided to do one thing. Leaning down, he ran the tip of his finger up the slope of Levi’s jaw to lift his chin carefully. When Levi’s eyes were staring back into his, he smiled warmly “Thank you. I’m gonna go eat.” All Levi could do in response was nod while Eren sauntered off to the kitchen. 

Reaching for the plate Levi had left wrapped on the counter, Eren noticed, like the coffee, was still warm. He’d likely wanted to get him up then to eat. It was such a sweet little gesture and Levi was quite the cook, so he was more than delighted to enjoy it. Was it strange that Levi still liked to cook for him? Once during the week he’d said it was easy to do while he fixed his own but now he was starting to think something else. There was no indication that Levi had eaten anything for himself. The skillet was clean and there were dishes to be done, so had he made something specifically for him? Judging by the chocolate chips in his pancake he was pretty sure he had. 

Levi had told him he wasn’t a big fan of sweets unless there was something to balance it out. Now he was staring at his extremely sweet pancake, knowing that he’d replied to Levi’s inquiry on sweets with the fact that he enjoyed sweet things to wake him up, and he couldn’t help but think that Levi had gone out of his way for him. That in and of itself was deserving of something, but he couldn’t exactly think what. After he finished, he washed his plate and placed it into the bottom rack of the dishwasher.

Returning to the living room, Eren grinned “That was delicious. Thank you. It was sweet.”

“You said you liked sweet things,” Levi replied as he looked up from his paper.

“I wasn’t talking about the pancake,” Eren chuckled “but the gesture itself.”

As Levi’s face tinted crimson he quickly averted his gaze “I was already making breakfast for myself. No need to thank me or anything.” Eren couldn’t help but find that cute. He knew better than to believe that, and there was Levi trying to brush it off like it wasn’t anything to be concerned with. Sometimes he had a habit of saying the opposite of what he meant. It was kind of endearing getting to figure out all the idiosyncrasies he had. 

In response, Eren nodded “Mhmm, okay. So, what’s the plan for today?”

“I was actually wondering,” Levi began “would it be alright if I went out later? I’ve got to go grocery shopping, and I wanted a drink later.”

“That’s fine,” Eren laughed “but I do have to go with you. You’re free to still live your life, Levi, I just have to be there when you do it. Whenever you want to go, we’ll go and I’ll call Krista to come watch the house while we’re out.”

He looked momentarily surprised before nodding “Okay. Well, I’ve got to finish up grading these papers. I don’t know how long it’ll take, maybe a couple of hours?”

Eren replied simply “Do what you need to. I’ll go get some work of my own done.”

“It’s okay, I’ll go work in the study now that you’re awake,” Levi offered as he began to gather his papers. 

Stopping him, Eren placed a hand atop his “Stop, Levi. I’m going to study and read up on some things. Don’t move on my account. This is your house, so do what you want where you want. Just come get me when you want to leave and I’ll get dressed.” Levi’s mouth popped open slightly at the words, or perhaps the connection of their hands, and Eren removed his hand quickly. Turning around, Eren walked down the hall and decided to finally crack open the practice exam Levi had given him. Marco’s information booklet he’d dropped off helped as well. 

Spending a couple of hours on testing materials and learning a bit about the current laws was time well passed in Eren’s mind. He learned that it was now illegal to search someone’s car except in the event of lunging distance to just clear the area for their protection. Most of the other bits were practically common sense, but learning the items he could get for someone in the event of domestic abuse situation was interesting. He was completely invested with learning about everything to the point that only Levi’s footsteps jerked his attention away from his work.

Levi smiled at the sight of  a barely clothed Eren lying amidst a pile of papers on the bed “Hey, it’s 5 so I thought that we might get going?”

Eren stretched out before he nodded and began filing his papers away “Sure, just let me throw some clothes on.”

“Do you _always_ laze around half naked? You’ve been here a week and I don’t think I’ve seen you fully clothed unless you’re outside,” Levi posed with his head cocked to the side as Eren began to peruse his clothes in the closet.

“Pretty much,” Eren called over his shoulder “I’m not much a fan of clothes. If I was in my own apartment I’d likely be naked. If it’s too weird I’ll try to remain fully clothed at all times.”

Watching as Eren dropped trow, Levi suddenly became fixated with the dust on the lampshade beside the door “Oh, no, just curious. Not exactly used to other people just walking around half naked all the time.”

“Sorry,” Eren snickered as he wiggled into his jeans “it’s just habit. You get used to wearing so much gear everyday you’ll start enjoying the fact you don’t have to wear anything. I mean, PPE isn’t light and neither is the extra shit we had to carry. You’re looking at well over 80lbs of shit. The fact I can just laze around without any of that is nice.”

“You had to carry that much shit?” Levi asked, surprised. “I’d have never thought that. I can see why you enjoy being naked.”

“In some cases, it was near double that,” Eren shrugged as he buttoned up his shirt “but we’re cyborgs so it wasn’t so bad. Just annoying.” Eren smiled broadly and grabbed his knife to shove in his boot. Once he laced up his boots and gave Krista a call, they were both nearly ready to leave. His last touch was the basic grooming and a dash of cologne. 

Krista used her key and let herself in as they were walking out to the front room “You look nice, Eren.”

Giving her a hug, he smiled “Thanks, doll. You got the house for a couple hours. We’ll be back to put up the groceries, and then he’s going to grab a drink down the road. I’ll have the com on if you need me.”

“Roger that,” she nodded before calling out as he was leaving. “Oh! Eren! Will you grab me some goldfish?”

“Sure, the vanilla ones, right?” He asked.

“Yup! You’re the best!” She shouted before he closed the door behind him. The girl was a little strange about her favorite sweets with them being graham cracker goldfish. To each their own he supposed. He’d been used to her weird taste for a while. Levi seemed a little off about it but even more so about the fact that he’d decided Levi was done playing chauffeur. Grabbing the keys, Eren decided that he’d drive and all Levi had to do was tell him where to go. He’d use the navigation to get there so it wouldn’t be a problem. 

On the drive, Levi seemed a bit more fidgety than normal. With his knee bouncing and him suddenly being fascinated with his cuticle situation, Levi was keeping himself busy but it seemed to Eren like was having difficulties with not driving. It had to have been a control thing. He certainly wasn’t used to it but it was a nice change for Eren. When they pulled into the parking lot, Levi was practically out of the door before he put it into park. Eren had glanced over to him but he seemed fine once he was back on the asphalt. 

“Gee, am I _that_ bad of a driver?” Eren asked as he grabbed a shopping cart for him.

Levi shook his head “No….I just, uh, I get kinda sick if I’m not the one driving. Makes me a little nauseous.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Eren grimaced “I didn’t mean to make you sick.”

“It’s alright. I imagine being driven around all the time isn’t very optimal for you either,” Levi replied as they walked into the store. 

“Nope, reminds me of some of those places I can’t talk about haha,” he offered as he fell into step with Levi.

As he was throwing things into the cart, Levi looked over to him “You know, you live with me so you should tell me what you like too. I can make just about anything.”

“How do you feel about pasta?” Eren asked in response.

Taking a moment, Levi thought before answering “I haven’t had it in a while, but I can make just about any form it.”

Eren smirked as Levi walked into his trap “No, you can’t. Not like me. I’ll make something for you tomorrow night. Let me cook for you for once. I may not be able to get all the way around a kitchen, but I do have some things up my sleeve. No one can make it like my mom, but I come _pretty_ close.”

Interested, Levi smiled “Really? Your mom taught you to cook? That’s kinda cute. I’ll let you cook for me on _one condition.”_

“Yeah? What’s that?” Eren asked curiously.

“Let me take you to dinner,” Levi stated. 


	8. In Vino Veritas

“I had plans of going to my favorite little spot on the wharf but you’re here, and you said you have to go everywhere with me,” Levi reasoned clearly before adding “and if I already had plans then you’re just joining me as my babysitter, right?”

Knowing the loophole he was using for this was quite valid, Eren agreed “I agree to go but we’ll see about you ‘taking’ me to dinner. We may have to duel over the check.”

“Fine,” Levi huffed as he rolled his eyes “if you wanna be that guy. Let’s finish up here, take it back, and then we’ll go eat. Sound good?”

“Sounds fantastic. I’m always down for food,” Eren chuckled as they began to both get ideas for what they wanted through the week. Each of them wound up fighting over certain things, like Eren saying he could cook more often and Levi saying he was only allowed in his kitchen once. If Eren was running himself ragged then the least Levi could do was cook. It was a far cry from the shy refusal to admit he’d done it just for him. For a moment their laughing and playing around felt like they were just there as themselves and not guard and charge. 

It took them awhile to finish up but Eren was thankful for every minute. He got to see Levi laughing and having fun. His goal had been to get a laugh or two out of him and it succeeded more than well. Watching Levi have to actually cover his mouth as he almost doubled over with laughter was worth more than anything he could think of. Seeing him be able to forget about everything going on and just let loose for a moment was important, but it also made his heart ache. 

He was busy watching and learning streets while Levi drove back to the house but his mind was busy with something else as well. The excuse for taking him to dinner was still on his mind. Levi knew exactly how to word it to make it seem as though it was just him tagging along, but his eyes asked him to come for more than that. It was getting harder to refuse him when he looked at him so sincerely. For some people, they couldn’t crack Levi’s stoic expression yet all it truly took was a little studying. He knew that Levi was pleading with him then, it was in the soft expression of his eyes, the light pull at the corners of his lips, and the crinkle by his eyes. There was no way he’d let himself say no to that.

Getting back to the house to store the groceries didn’t happen as they thought it would. Once they carried everything in, Krista practically shoved them back outside. She told them she had no problem putting everything up, and Levi’s face was showing nothing but horror. He was a bit concerned about how he liked his things and that she’d mess it up. She promised that she’d pay attention to the current state of things and follow the pattern, but they should go get their drinks. It was nearing 6:30pm and so if they wanted to get to back across town then they did, in fact, need to leave.

Eren drug Levi out to the car and pushed the keys into his hands. Levi reluctantly got in and began the drive out to one of the wharfs. It was a good view for Eren as he’d never been so far out and he liked to see the ocean every now and again. One of the upsides of living on a coastal city was getting to see it often and getting to enjoy fresh seafood which he discovered was one thing Levi enjoyed himself. He’d brought him to a restaurant that was, of course, covered in nautical themed decor, but horrible decor aside it was rather nice. The hostess sat them quickly in a booth at the back of the restaurant although Eren felt his senses push to overload in the open room.

Taking the seat with his back to the wall, Eren made sure he could see everything in the room. He wasn’t taking any chances when someone could assume their guard was down. His stiff posture seemed to have made Levi frown as he looked up at him between reading the menu.

“Are you alright?” Levi asked as he glanced up again.

Eren attempted to reassure him “I’m alright. I just like to stay alert in places like this.”

Frown deepening, Levi sighed “Sometimes I forget you practically work on autopilot.” Nearly under his breath he muttered “So much for relaxing.”

Hearing the words, Eren held his gaze when it returned to him “Relaxing isn’t really in my job description. I’m sorry. I don’t make for the best company. Maybe it’s just the fact I’m naturally kind of an ass.”

Levi let out a small huff of laughter “Ha, I don’t think that’s it. You’re fine company, Eren. I just want to try to enjoy myself despite everything, ya know? I have you. I should be able to relax a bit, in fact, you’re the only reason I can.”

“Which means I have to be alert for you,” Eren reminded “but I can at _ least _ pretend like I’m not prepared to jump outta this booth every single time someone brushes past.”

“Can I ask something?” Levi asked as he attempted to steer away from that subject. When Eren nodded he looked down at his menu “I never asked, how long have you been out of the military, Eren?”

Knowing this was likely going to turn to his past, Eren answered quickly “Not even two months.”

Eyes wide, Levi looked up as if he’d been slapped _ “What?  _ You….it hasn’t been long at all. I can’t believe I’m putting you right back into that mentality.”

“It’s fine. I actually don’t mind that much,” Eren replied as he looked to Levi “so don’t look like it’s a big deal. Two months doesn’t even feel real. I lived with my mom, she was way too stressed about me finding my way in society now, for the last little bit. When I say I just moved into my apartment I literally mean I’ve spent one single night in it. I don’t know the area well because we lived way out on the outskirts. The only reason I knew my way to the hospital was because of my sister.”

“You have a sister?” Levi questioned. “Your mom sounds like a nice woman who was just worried about you.”

Laughing, Eren forgot he’d never told Levi about Mikasa “Haha, yeah I sure do. You’ve met her actually….rather intimately.”

“I’m not attracted to women, Eren,” Levi replied with his brows knit in confusion.

“Didn’t say you slept with her. Remember when we had to go to the hospital. That doctor looked really angry with me? Yeah, that’s because that’s my sister,” Eren laughed awkwardly as he noticed the realization dawn on Levi.

“So, when I gave her my number to give to you….that’s why she gave me that look. I can’t believe your sister has seen me naked!” Levi cringed as his voice cracked. It was too cute to keep from laughing at, and then it dawned on him that he was bit jealous of his sister. 

Eren grinned “Well, at least it wasn’t like she was your sister. Could have been worse. Ever had your sister say that you need to be more hydrated judging from your urine test? Be thankful.”

Levi’s features fell from horror to something far worse “That does sound bad but my mother died in childbirth, so I don’t have any siblings. There were kids I grew up with but….nevermind.”

Reaching across the table, Eren lifted one of Levi’s fingertips gently “I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about your childhood. Neither of have us great ones so it’s not exactly an area of wise exploration.”

“You’re right about that,” Levi replied as he looked up and retracted his hand “so, instead, why don’t you tell me something interesting about yourself?” Eren took a moment to think to himself about all the things in his life that might be labeled as interesting. Being in the military, he’d been to many places and had some interesting stories but this wasn’t about that. Part of Eren felt like the dinner almost had a first date like atmosphere and so he wanted to aim for something light and fun, but there wasn’t much of that in his life. From 18 he’d been in the military and before that he was a walking beta experiment.

“Hmm, I was homeschooled and I didn’t have my first kiss until I was 21,” Eren admitted with a slight embarrassed flush in his cheeks.

Levi had to hide his snicker behind his hand “That’s really precious, Eren. So, it was in the military little homeschool got his first kiss?”

Eren groaned “Yes, I was homeschooled and it  _ was _ in the military, but he wasn’t a part of the military. I was stationed in… _ ‘this place’ _ and I actually didn’t know it was a custom. Dude just straight up kissed me and then brought us inside. The one after that….well that one was on me.”

Imagining the scene, Levi could no longer hold in his laughter “Ahaha!! You swapped spit with some random guy all for a custom you didn’t know then decided you liked it and went back for seconds?”

“I mean, kinda?” Eren chuckled. “He was cute! Sue me. After that I was much more…. _ wild. _ I had a time period where I couldn’t process what I was doing, I needed to make sure I was alive and it came with a horribly harmful mentality. After that I had to relay control back to Jean. He had to take over the unit while I had some therapy and more training until I was fit for duty again.”

“Finding more comfort?” Levi asked as his eyes began to reflect sympathy.

Shaking his head, Eren corrected him “More like reminding myself I was still human after some things I did and saw. No one is perfect, and I had that problem with believing I should have been. I was a leader. I had to be for them, but it was them who urged me to go. I was seeking validation in all the wrong places. Rogue and I weren’t being very compatible with one another at the time either.”

“That sounds awful,” Levi responded before the waiter came over for their orders. Once he was gone, he began “Were there any fun times?”

“Plenty good to make up for the bad,” Eren grinned. “Like, there was one time we were in…. _ Fuck it. _ We were in Fallujah and Jean decided that we should go around the ruins of this old building for a better vantage point. How he didn’t see it with Viper engaged we’ll never know, but there was a herd of wild donkeys that apparently liked these ruins for shelter and shade. Not only did they routinely bite us and steal our shit, but Jean had an interesting encounter with these specific donkeys.”

Levi leaned forward with an impish smirk “I already like where this is going.”

Eren winked “Oh, it’s about to get better. We were making base and we were a little ways outside the city. So, Jean went into the city and we have no idea what kind of garden he got into. He comes back with this tea. Apparently, the locals wanted to fuck with him. Most of the time we don’t take things from anyone for our safety. He watched it get made apparently and was super excited about this tea. What he didn’t know was that it contained a hallucinogen. A strong one. Jean gets up about ten minutes later, eyes dilated until they looked mostly black from his pupils, and staggering to walk. We’re all thinking we need to make him hurl. This moron thinks that the herd of donkeys is our new convoy track. He goes up and tries to get on one.”

Face contorting with surprise, Levi shook his head “Oh no.”

“Oh  _ yes,”  _ Eren cackled as he recalled the sight “but that’s not all. Apparently this tea was potent and not just a hallucinogen. Let’s say it was laced with a whole lot of something extra that increased his body temperature and let out his desires so to speak. Yohimbe and sassafras likely were in it, at least it’s our guess, but it could have been any kind of chemical like ecstasy.”

“So, he was not only high as a kite, hallucinating, but also horny. That’s what you’re telling me?” Levi questioned with a quirked brow.

Eren nodded with a chortle “You bet. Picture this: Jean naked, getting thrown into the sand from an angry donkey, and sweating bullets. We wound up corralling him and getting him to stop running around butt ass naked by telling him we were going home, and I had to stay with him for the night. To this day he refuses tea from anyone and hates donkeys to the point where it’s more like a developed phobia.”

Levi got a good laugh from the story as he shook his head “I cannot believe he did that. I feel bad for him. Tea is fantastic.”

“Tea snob,” Eren jested “but yeah we all felt bad. There have to have been some fun times for you too though. What about college?

Wrinkling his nose, Levi huffed playfully “Hmph, I may be a tea snob but at least I don’t dull my senses with all that caffeine, Eren. In college, I had some good times and I met my friend Hange. Erwin, Mike, and I met while working for the government during some meetings for testifying in court. I did have some wild parties in my day with the guys from college and it ended in many a hangover for me.”

“Aww,” Eren cooed teasingly “are you a lightweight?”

“Featherweight I’m afraid,” Levi admitted with a scowl “but that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall out from a drink or two at the bar. You won’t have to take care of me.”

“I wouldn’t exactly mind that if I had to,” Eren shrugged casually as their food arrived “but it’s good you’ll have something on your stomach when you drink. I won’t have to worry too much about you.”

Levi looked up as he reached over and plucked a shrimp from Eren’s plate with a cheeky smile “Haha, the fact you worry is nice.”

At the stealing of his shrimp, Eren reached across to grab one of Levi’s from his skewer “It’s my job isn’t it?” In the instant it was said both of them ceased their talking. Just because it was said, wasn’t how he necessarily meant it. Levi’s reaction to it had been much of his own as if they both noticed how it had sounded. 

_ “Just _ your job, huh. I know better,” Levi smirked triumphantly. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Eren grinned as he rolled his eyes “just hurry up and start eating.” The two ate in a peaceful silence which blanketed them for the duration of their meal. Every now and again Eren would glance to Levi and catch sight of him staring in return. They’d smile to one another and return to eating with a slight smile still plastered on their faces. It was nice to feel comfortable just by sitting with someone. He’d never had that before, and it was a nice feeling to just enjoy someone’s presence. When the waiter dropped the check at the table Eren’s hand was the first to grab it with a wide, smug grin.

He damn sure wasn’t letting Levi pay for it when he’d been the one cooking for him all the time. In a way it was his retribution. Levi had given him a dour look as he slipped his debit card inside the black folder and held it in his hands until he could personally hand it to their waiter. Ensuring that Levi wouldn’t try anything for it, Eren had to wait. That devious little marmoset would definitely have tried it if he had sat it down and he didn’t want to be playing tug-of-war for the fucking bill.

As the waiter had taken the checkbook, Levi smiled and gave him a short “Thank you.” Eren just gave him a smile and a nod in return. It was a simple gesture that he honestly didn’t think too much on when Levi had been cooking for him. Eren was sure that he was going to start trying to do other things around the house for him as well. When he’d been caught doing his own laundry the previous day Levi had stared at him as if he’d sprouted a second head on his shoulder. Clearly he wasn’t used to capable men who did things for themselves. To Eren, he would do as much as he could to lessen the burden of Levi, who already had too many things to do anyhow.

Departing the restaurant with a bit of a pep in their step, they soon drove out to the shady little dive they’d met at. Of course, for tactical reasons, Eren chose the same booth from a week ago only he chose to sit on the opposite side facing the door. Levi opted for a more realistic approach of sitting at the bar to drink. Even though Eren had ordered a drink for himself, he knew that he shouldn’t really be drinking it. Sloshing around the amber liquid languidly was purely for the sake of the feeling. Not only did he have to take his medication soon, but drinking on the job wasn’t going to put him in optimal condition in case something were to happen.

Currently, however, the only thing happening was gradually raising Eren’s blood pressure. A young man with golden hair styled forward and buzzed closely on the sides with vivid azure eyes had taken to chatting up Levi. His lavender polo shirt and khakis put him more than out of place in the establishment and something seemed so wrong about the way he’d taken to just making a beeline for Levi and striking up conversation so easily. Judging from his posture, as he leaned one elbow on the bar while keeping his back to everyone but Levi, he was certainly there to lavish Levi in his attention. Even the blind could see that the man was obviously flirting with Levi. The very idea of another person making any move on Levi curdled his stomach and soured his attitude. To make matters worse Levi was leaning forward and laughing.

_ “How cozy,”  _ he spat to himself under his breath, words practically dripping venom. Watching the two flirt back and forth was making him ill in more than one form. Perhaps it was just that he was getting to have the one thing that Eren wanted more than oxygen to breathe. This stranger was getting to come onto Levi and it looked like he was actually getting somewhere. He wanted to look away from the spectacle, but he couldn’t bring himself to tear his gaze away. It was pitiful that he couldn’t even manage that much of himself; completely and utterly pathetic.

Ordering a stronger drink to wash down the bitter taste in his mouth, Eren waved over a waitress. A quick shot was hopefully going to at least help while he continued to stare down at his bourbon. It was then that he began to examine the situation closer. What if Rogue was right? On the off chance that Rogue was right about not acting driving him further out of his mind, than actually making good on his feelings, then Eren was doing more damage to himself as he watched Levi attempt to pick up some stranger was going too far. He knew himself better than anyone, but it felt like he was tearing himself apart trying to figure out something so incredibly simple.

Not wanting to admit that Rogue was more than likely right, Eren stared down into his glass. He wondered if he could just drown his thoughts or if they knew how to swim during the flood. 

“You should drink it already,” came Levi’s voice from in front of him as he slid into the booth.

Shaking his head as if he could sling out the thoughts, Eren huffed “No, I think I’d rather not.” Looking up, Eren caught a glimpse of the blonde Levi had been speaking to leaving. He’d just barely caught the lavender polo exiting the door so he jerked his chin towards the door “Looks like your boy is leaving. Aren’t you going with him?”

A bit confused, Levi asked “Why would I?”

Eren shrugged while swirling his glass around “Dunno. You two seemed to be  _ really  _ hitting it off from back here.”

Levi’s words accrued a different, seemingly accusatory, tone “Watching everyone I talk to, Eren, or just the cute ones? Jealous?”

“Anyone could be a threat,” Eren replied flatly.

Scoffing, Levi rolled his eyes “Evasion doesn’t suit you and neither does jealousy. Besides, what exactly would I have done anyway with you following me back to his apartment? Say ‘Oh, so, this is Eren. He’s my cybernetic bodyguard whose job it is to make sure that my murdering, cult leader, father or his minions don’t kill me?’ Yeah, I bet that would have gone over  _ super  _ well.”

Taken aback, Eren found himself digging in “Well, I imagine the scars on your body would have given that story legitimacy. I wouldn’t have been around visually anyhow.” 

Levi’s gaze turned frigid as he spat “He wouldn’t have seen them.”

“Oh?” Eren posed. “How do you figure that? They’re  _ everywhere.”  _

It was then that Levi’s ire was clear as he hit where he knew it’d hurt “Gee, Eren, being on my back in the dark screaming  _ ‘Tristan!’ _ at the top of my lungs might be too distracting for him.”

Blood boiling, Eren smiled viciously “Oh, how nice. His name is Tristan? Sounds like a complete fucking tool.”

Levi pointed a finger towards him before spitting harshly “The only _ tool _ I see is in front of me.”

Eren’s eyes widened as he laughed bitterly “Really? Only bringing that one up because I won’t fuck you, right?”

All bets were off as Levi got to his feet, unbridled fury rolling in his steely irises “Wow! No, I said it because you’re acting like a petulant child. You see someone else playing with a toy and suddenly you realize that you want to play with it too. Screw your damn sandbox mentality, Eren! You know what, **I’m leaving.”** Levi stormed out of the bar before it even hit Eren that he was left without a car and that Levi was by himself. It was too much to handle. Why he’d said that and goaded him into such a reaction he didn’t honestly. Everything just fell out of his mouth at that point and maybe it was him taking out his frustrations with himself on Levi. Seeing Tristan in his khakis and polo made him wonder if a guy like that wasn’t better for Levi than himself. 

Seeing another man with the one he wanted lit a fire unlike anything else in his chest, caused fire to begin rolling through his veins, and lit everything in his body with a burning ache. Fighting with Levi in a bar full of people hadn’t been how he wanted it to go at all. It was entirely his fault and he knew that. Now, he had to do something about it. 

Calling up Rogue, Eren sighed “Which way is he headed, Rogue? You did get a link to his phone right?”

“I did,” came the reply “and he’s probably getting into a cab heading west on Canal.”

_“FUCK!”_ Eren shouted after slamming back his bourbon. Leaving cash under his drink for a tip, he sprinted out of the building and looked around trying to get a visual on Levi. When he couldn’t he groaned “He’s alone, Rogue! Get someone on his tail. Who’s closest?”

“Viper is closest,” Rogue stated “I’m sending the information to his phone from Levi’s. He’ll get the information and meet him at his destination.”

Eren sighed “Good, I don’t like the way that guy felt. Something felt off about him. He was _ too _ friendly and it wasn’t something else thinking that.”

“You got it. What about Bloodeye? Should we send them as well?” Rogue asked.

“No,” Eren replied with a laugh “are you kidding? She’d kill me for subjecting her hearing to sex. She’s on the house anyhow. Jean was the only one without a task and if he can be there to track Levi then I don’t have to worry.”

Rogue replied “True. Jean and Viper have been dispatched to the location. I’ll slow their route by getting into the traffic system.”

With a plan in motion, Eren agreed “That’s good. Go ahead and do that. Also, page Armin for me. I need to see him.”

“You know you should be heading off Jean at the final destination,” came Rogue’s reply to Eren’s actions “but I’ll page him if you insist.”

“Think I wanna have to be subjected to that either?” Eren scoffed.

“Maybe not,” Rogue offered “but it’s your own goddamned fault he stormed out like that. You should have reigned yourself in. So much for not letting emotions get into the equation, huh? Looks like you’re already  _ beyond  _ comprom---” Quickly shutting off the communication, Eren headed to Levi’s car. Thankfully he’d left the door open and the push to start was helpful. There was a place he needed to go to vent, a rather old friend’s apartment on the south side of the city where everything seemed to be at peace. Parks littered the area and the sound pollution was at an all time low. It made for a nice place to think so that was exactly where he was headed while Jean took care of this problem.

On the way to south side, Eren began to berate himself even farther for his actions. He couldn’t believe he’d thrown that back into Levi’s face. Hurting him like he had was more than reprehensible and there was no excuse for it. Knowing that he’d taken one of Levi’s insecurities and tossed it back at him all because of some polo, sweater wearing fool...absolutely senseless. Getting so worked up as to compromise Levi’s safety and security had been the biggest issue to begin with! Now, there he was having done the one thing that he knew was going to get them in trouble. 

As he got into the mix of late night traffic he was alone with all his swarms of assaulting thoughts. There were so many ways to do better. Luckily, he was going to look for advice in a person and not at the bottom of a glass again. He’d learned that wasn’t going to fix anything when he was the one who fucked up. How exactly was he supposed to rationalize it to himself when he was the one who jacked things up in the first place? 

Pulling into the lot of the apartment complex, Eren took a breath to steel himself and parked near the front. Once out of the car he recalled the apartment number 205E. Climbing up a couple flights of stairs, Eren walked down the posh complex’s hallway until he’d seen the very number he was looking for. Knocking lightly, yet heavy enough to sting his knuckles, against the heavy door Eren waited patiently. A few moments later the sound of a chain rattling echoed before the door swung open to a blonde man of a few inches shorter than Eren. His long honey hair was tied up in a ponytail and his tired lazuli colored eyes met his.

“Eren?” He answered. “It’s been a bit. What’s up?”

“Hey, Armin,” Eren smiled hollowly “you mind if I talk your ear off?”

Laughing, he shook his head “Nah, c’mon in.” After being invited in, Eren brushed past his friend and aimed for the cream colored sofa. Armin walked into the kitchen to grab himself a beer “You want something to drink?”

“I’m good, man, thanks though,” he called from his seat. 

Armin shuffled over to the sofa and smiled “Alright, shoot. What’d you do this time?” 

_ “I suck,” _ he sighed.

“What’s new?” Armin giggled before stiffening at the strength in Eren’s gaze. “Sorry. Is something _ big time  _ wrong?”

Eren gave him a curt nod “I guess so. I met a guy who needed my particular brand of help and we never really sated our desire for one another. It’s just so palpable when we’re alone and tonight---” Before he could finish, he dropped off the sofa and hit his knees. Gasping roughly for any inkling of air, his fingers clawed into the carpet. Searing, burning pain began to radiate down his body and in his temples. He barely had the strength to turn on Rogue as it sapped the will from his bones and air from his chest.

“About time! Levi’s in **trouble!”** Rouge shouted.


	9. A Tiff Made for Two

Regaining his breath, Eren’s eyes widened **“What?!”**

“I can’t reach Viper! Something’s wrong! Go!  **Now!”** Rogue screamed as his voice all but vibrated inside Eren’s skull.

Gathering himself, Eren looked to Armin who waved him out “Go.” Eren nodded furiously and took to a running sprint out of the apartment slamming the door hard behind him. On his way out he failed to even notice as he skipped several steps down the several flights of stairs he had to race down. In the car, he peeled out of the parking lot and made for the coordinates Rogue was directing him to. All he needed to know to drop absolutely everything was that Levi was potentially in trouble. Knowing that Viper couldn’t be reached with Rogue meant something was definitely wrong. He didn’t even care about the pain still throbbing in his head, he knew he needed to reach Levi immediately.

No longer caring about how fast he was going, Eren’s foot pressed the gas pedal to the floor. Beginning to drive erratically, Eren made his way towards the Sunset Hills apartment complex on the west side of town. It wouldn’t take any longer than ten minutes to reach according to the navigation, but any time was too long in Eren’s mind. Any minute he wasn’t there meant that Levi had to fend for himself and the way he’d frozen in the wake of the religious whacko minion his father had sent meant that he was likely to freeze again. If Levi couldn’t keep himself from harm in those ten minutes then all bets were off that Eren could keep from killing someone.

Arriving at the complex, Eren dashed out of the car and immediately heard yelling on the second floor. He could hear things smashing and things slamming around, so he took that as his clue to move faster. It was harder to pinpoint where it was coming from exactly, but luckily Rogue had his back as he always had. Instructing him along the twists and turns of the complex, he came to the door 28A. Kicking it in was no problem and it was then that Eren’s breathing stunted.

In front of him was a sight that he’d have only imagined in his nightmares. Jean was unconscious just to the left of the door, a small amount of blood pooling out from beneath his left temple. Unfortunately, Levi was the one in more trouble than Jean. He knew that his body could handle something like that, but Levi’s body wasn’t about to handle the tunnel bore of a bullet. Staring down a pistol, Levi stood with his shirt ripped open, likely torn with a blade judging from the jagged tear alongside the buttons. What really surprised him was that Levi was brandishing a kitchen knife against this guy with a gun.

What a fiery spitfuck he truly was. There was blood smeared across his chest and dripping down his browline to his cheek. From the look of it, it seemed it was to the point of it possibly obscuring his vision. Eren had arrived just in time and he wasn’t about to take any of this well. Someone had _ hurt _ Levi. Had laid their fucking fingers on him maliciously. A switch flipped in his head at the sight and his eyes met the wielder of the pistol: the guy from the dive. 

“Don’t move any closer or I’ll shoot him,” Tristan demanded.

Eren’s lips curled up into a cruel smile “Haha, oh you’ve made one bad decision already. Put down the gun, sweetheart, before you make another.”

“I don’t think so,” he spat threateningly. “You can’t get to him before I shoot him. I was told not to kill him, but if I have to then I guess it can’t be helped.” Eren’s eyes darted to the trigger of the pistol and the pale digit about to squeeze it. There was no way in hell he was letting Levi take that, so he did the only thing he knew that he could. The distance to cross to get to Levi before he ate a bullet was too long for a normal person. It was simply too much for the human body to connect the relay of the squeeze of a trigger and the sound of the gun firing before acting. No one could move that fast on instinct….unless they weren’t  _ entirely _ human.

Judging from his words and his stance, Eren knew immediately what was about to happen. Before anything else, he turned to sprint towards Levi. Tackling him just in time as the sound of the pistol reverberated through the air, Eren knew it was best to knock the knife out of his hand and just take the risk of hurting him a little more than letting him take a bullet. One of them was used to that tearing, immensely powerful, burning pain ripping through their muscle and bounding around in their body. The most damage Levi sustained from the tackle was probably some bruises. Eren, on the other hand, took a bullet to the right shoulder.

It wasn’t something Eren hadn’t felt before. As he rolled onto his back, moving off Levi, he grimaced and let out a pained wince at the feeling burrowing its way into his right side. Unfortunately for the assailant, Eren was not one to stay down when shot. In fact, it was just like kicking an angry grizzly bear. Now, now he was more than pissed off. Getting to his feet shakily, Eren patted the back of his jeans only to remember he was so used to the campus policy he’d not carried his gun. The only other option was the kabar in his boot. Reaching down, Eren unclipped it and tossed it from one hand to the other.

Luckily, the surprise factor had stunned Tristan and the time it took for him to pull back the slide of his pistol was less than what Eren needed. The general rule of thumb was 24 feet. Inside a radius of 24 feet someone with a knife could get to a person wielding a firearm quicker than they could square their shot and fire. Eren’s radius was a little smaller, but he was still within 24 feet, making the sound of Tristan’s bloody gurgle as Eren dove the knife deep into his gut all the more beautiful. Twisting and ripping upwards, hacking away at the muscle, Eren made sure to inflict a bit of payback as he laughed. No one was shooting him and getting away from his wrath but, better yet, no one was laying a single finger on Levi and getting away with it.

Pistol dropping to the ground as Eren yanked back his knife, suddenly the threat was no more. Levi’s face was streaked in stripes of rust, and it appeared he’d gotten splattered a bit with Eren’s blood from the bullet’s path. He watched in confusion as Eren shoved Tristan to the ground and kicked away the gun. In the next moment Eren was ripping off Tristan’s shirt and applying pressure to the very wound he’d created. Dressing the wound and placing his foot atop his chest, Eren stood proudly as he looked around the room checking for anymore threats. Determining things were safe, he let out a groan and placed his hand over his shoulder.

“Cops should be arriving soon,” Rogue informed him “it seemed neighbors had already called them.”

“Roger that,” Eren replied “make sure they have an ambulance for two. Levi’s got some wounds that need bandaging and this asshole is gonna need a trauma center.” Rogue laughed and put in the call to Marco’s personal phone. He could still use the link to Levi’s phone to find the number. It seemed that Rogue’s link to Levi’s phone had come in handy more than Eren ever hoped it would. Honestly, he was hoping that he’d never have to resort to breaking his privacy but desperate times had called for far more desperate measures. 

When the sound of alarms blared outside, Eren took a relieved breath. He could finally sit down and let himself catch up. Adrenaline was no longer running rampant through his veins and now it had sapped everything from him. His limbs were heavy, his eyelids included, and all he found himself wanting to do was sleep. There was no time for that though, and he had someone else to tend to. Rising to his feet he walked over to Jean and rolled him onto his side. It looked like a small cut and some blunt trauma that had knocked him out cold. Attempting to get him to come to was a little harder with one good arm, but he managed to get him slightly groggy while the EMT’s came rushing into the room. 

Eren accurately directed them to everyone in the room while managing to tell them the injuries of everyone. Of course he got some strange looks as Rogue was still active and blood was cascading down his arm. It was clear he too was injured, but he waived off all medical care.

Busting into the room, Marco sighed and took his hat off “Goddamn it! What the  **fuck** is this!? Shit show number two?!”

Chuckling, Eren gave him a half smile “Sorry, sergeant. I had to come chase down Levi who got himself into a world of trouble. Your chief suspect has quite some puncture wounds and lacerations. If he gets to the hospital in an hour he won’t suffer renal failure. In case you’re wondering why I ripped him a new one, he kinda fucking  _ SHOT  _ me.”

As Eren spoke, Marco’s chocolate doe eyes widened and he began to wave over the medics “Jesus christ, Eren! Hey! Need a trauma kit over here!”

“Nah, I’m good,” Eren laughed as he ripped open his shirt “but this was one of my favorite shirts.” Seeing the gaping hole in Eren’s skin almost made Levi sick as he watched from just a few feet behind him, but that wasn’t the worst part. Eren knew that Marco needed the evidence, so he held his hand beneath the wound and waited. All eyes focused on the webbing that began to string its way through his muscle and skin. In a few moments the bent and squashed, gnarled bit of copper casing fell from the wound in his shoulder. “There’s your evidence, Bodt.”

Marco cringed and placed a hand over his mouth as he mentioned for a tech to bag it “Ugh, someone please take that away. Tell me what happened.” Eren began to recite his side of the story and walked Marco through every step he took around the apartment down to the near gutting of the  _ whackadoodle,  _ as he’d so labeled Tristan. When Jean was finished getting patched up, he’d told Marco that he arrived when he heard a shout. Once he’d gotten through the door there were two men and one was behind Levi with a hand on his mouth and a knife at his stomach. The other managed to get the drop on him as he got hit likely with the butt of the pistol. Viper had sent out the distress before he passed out and that was all he could remember. 

After being asked for a description of the two men while Levi was getting treated, all Jean had to go on was Viper’s measurements. He turned her on and recited it all back to Marco. He’d informed him it seemed like the second tucked tail and ran during the scramble. Jean’s expression seemed more than pained as he’d explained everything. Likely, he was feeling like what happened was his fault, and he knew how Jean would think after so many years. He needed him to know that wasn’t the case. If anyone was to blame for it all it was Eren, and that was certainly one thing he knew.

Eren put a hand on his shoulder “You guys did well. Viper, baby doll, you okay?”

Jean groaned as Marco watched the strange exchange “She said she’s alright. In fact, she’s so fucking peachy she won’t shut the hell up about Sergeant McDreamy over here.”

“Whoa,” Marco cut in with a slight quirked brow “your cipher is female?”

“Mhmm,” Jean nodded “she’s a real fucking bitch sometimes. Won’t stop begging me to turn her on so she can see you when you come around. She thinks you’re real pretty.” 

Cringing a bit, Marco stepped back “I see. Does that mean you both think it or just her?”

Smiling broadly, Jean shrugged “Who knows, Sergeant? Maybe I influence her, she influences me, or we just both happened to form the same opinion. Anyhow, Eren, I’m going back to the apartment. I can’t even think too much right now.”

“You got it,” Eren replied “be good. Take care of yourself.”

“Ha, you too Captain America,” Jean snickered.

Marco cut in a bit apprehensively “Listen, I can’t let you drive back yourself which means that I’m gonna have to make sure you get home okay. Everyone appears busy, so I’ll escort you myself.” Eren waited until Marco was out of the line of sight before winking at Jean. In response he got a little happy smile. That would be enough to take his mind off things for a bit but it wasn’t enough for Eren. Levi still had to give his statement and have photos taken of his injuries. Luckily, he was released quickly into his own care, and Eren completely refused any kind of care. He just wanted to get Levi home.

Though he recalled what Levi said about getting sick when not driving he was still going to have to sit in the passenger seat. He wasn’t going to let Levi drive when he was likely still in shock from the events of the night. Eren was too calm and too quiet during the ride, trying to think of just what to do when they got home. Traumatic events took their toll in many ways for people. Not understanding how it might affect Levi made it difficult to think of how he could help him recover from it even if it was just a hint. While he was wondering about how to help, the atmosphere in the car was hauntingly grim. 

Eerily silent and the air heavy with regret and untouched upon tension, the energy in the car had taken a drastic hit. Levi said nothing and so Eren hadn’t either, making for an awkward ride. As they were on their way home, that reminded Eren of one problem. He’d managed to remember just as they pulled into the drive. Krista was **not** going to be happy. When they got out, Eren placed a hand to Levi’s chest pushing him back from the door as he walked in. Ready and waiting for their arrival home, Krista’s soft features were painted in worry and concern. Bloodeye was engaged and yet she still seemed so frantic.

Slinging her arms around Eren’s neck, her voice cracked “Oh my god, Eren! Bloodeye was telling me Viper went dark and then I got a trans from Rogue. Are you okay? Do you need anything?!”

“Hey Kris,” he replied softly “I’m alright. It’s no---  
  
 ** _“YOU!”_** She suddenly shouted as her eyes flickered towards Levi. Before she could stomp over to him and giver a piece of her mind, Eren wrapped an arm around her waist and held her back.

**“HEY!”** He shouted. “Go home. Don’t even start it. Bloodeye, keep her down.”

Krista huffed as she stopped expending her energy attempting to claw out of Eren’s hold “He’s already yelling. You---Oh….”

Eren clicked his teeth “Tch, what did I say.  **GO. HOME.”**

“Fine,” she mumbled as she grabbed her coat and stomped out of the open door. When Levi finally took a breath he shut the door behind him and Eren was already heading into the kitchen silently. At least Eren could make Levi some tea; that would hopefully ease him a little bit, so he filled the kettle and placed it atop the stove. During the time it got to a boil, Eren walked down the hall to the bedroom and pulled out one of his own blankets. Oftentimes blankets were used for those in shock, and even though he knew he wasn’t in shock and it wasn’t foil lined, he thought it may help. The last step was steep his tea when the kettle began to whistle.

As Eren brought him the tea, Levi looked up to him with eyes reflecting pure regret and pain. Ignoring it, Eren just sat down his tea and draped the blanket over his shoulders before walking away. Headed down the hallway to the bathroom, Eren examined his wound in the mirror and noticed it was the sting was due to it being cinched by thousands of threads. He bent to his knees and rummaged round until he located a first aid kit. Something simple like alcohol for the wound, gauze, tape, and wrappings would be located inside. Before any of that, however, he decided to take his medication like he’d promised himself. It was a bit later than it should be but that couldn’t be helped.

Cursing at the fact he could take all his meds just fine but couldn’t manage to dress his wound, Eren groaned. Fortunately, he’d not noticed the guest leaning in the doorway watching his struggle. Wordlessly, Levi stepped into the bathroom and placed the bandage over his wound attempting to not stare directly at it in the process. It was a nasty wound that he didn’t need to get close to, to see that. Levi’s pale fingers cautiously reached out to his sun kissed skin, spreading out across his back. The soft caress of Levi’s skin over his own had Eren’s mind in other places instead of noticing him grabbing the tail end of the wrap. Bringing the wrap around Eren’s chest and over his shoulder, Levi managed to do a pretty damn good job at ensuring the bandage wasn’t going to be coming off anytime soon. 

Finished, Levi made no move to leave the bathroom as he stood in Eren’s way. Not bothering to ask him to move, Eren walked forward with no plans of stopping either. Just as he went to softly move him aside, Levi reached out and grabbed his forearm to stop him.

“Please say something,” he pleaded softly.  **“Anything!”**

When Levi’s voice cracked as it rose, Eren closed his eyes for a moment before asking “Did he  _ touch  _ you? Either of them?” All he could picture in his head was either of those bastards lying a single fingertip on him. He should have cut off his fingers for it. Every part of him wanted to have some control of his emotions in the moment but that ability had been long gone. 

Levi shook his head “Not like you’re thinking. I called him in the cab and said I’d take him up on his offer. It was such a stupid thing to do. I got there, sat on the sofa, and before I got to do anything a guy had his hand over my mouth from behind the couch with a blade at my throat. The other ripped my shirt open, to make sure it was me I guess, and when I got dragged to my feet I kicked one in the stomach. He fell and I yelled for---- Jean came in then, got clocked, and I grabbed the knife. I backed up and the other of the guys said he didn’t sign up for cyborgs and ran. You came about two minutes after that.”

“Okay,” Eren breathed lowly before holding Levi’s gaze “don’t you  **_ever_ ** fucking scare me like that again. I had to take a fucking bullet for you tonight because you stormed out in a tiff. I get that I was a dick, I know I was, but your safety comes first in all cases. I’m still just a little surprised that Jean knew to break in though. Could have just---”

“I yelled for  _ you, _ Eren,” Levi interrupted timidly. Eyes blowing wide, Eren had to take a moment to process Levi’s words. He’d screamed for him in a time of life or death; it was Eren he wanted to be protected by. He'd been his first thought, his first reaction, his first instinct.

Eren tried to act as if that wasn’t such a big deal “Oh….makes more sense now. C’mon, you need---”

“You got _ shot! _ ” He screeched. “You don’t get to tell me what  _ I _ need!”

Shrugging it off, Eren smiled “Do you know why I didn’t have EMTs patch me up? Why I refused care? Because I’ve got nanobytes in my blood. My wound will heal itself in a couple of days; it just needs to be covered. I’m fine. I’m a little sore, I can feel the pain, but it’s not something I can’t handle. I’m a cyborg, Levi, I can handle a lot more than this. This is not my first bullet, but I hope it’s the last.”

Levi shook his head as his voice quieted to a whisper “You’ve been shot more than once? _Eren…”_

“Around four times,” he explained “or five if you count a graze and exclude tonight.”

Completely flabbergasted by the information, Levi’s brows creased “That…. That doesn’t mean that can go getting shot! I thought you---”

Pained by the wounded, forlorn, expression in Levi’s face, Eren grabbed Levi’s hand before he could say anything else and placed it on his chest “Feel this? That beat is proof that I’m alive. I’m just fine. Now, go drink your tea and go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day. We can talk again then if you want.” Leaving it at that, Eren released his hand, and slipped on past him. He’d left Levi standing there with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes still wide. There wasn’t much he could do with that conversation anyhow. Instead he chose to do what he needed to do and let Levi try to calm himself with the few things that Eren knew he could have done for him.

It was his fault in the first place. Levi should have never been there, and had he been a second later than he was who knew what could have happened? The very reason he didn’t need to be emotionally involved happened anyway, and he risked his life to save him. Had he not argued and started being such a passive aggressive bitch he would have never caused Levi to walk out like that. Of course, he knew that Levi was his own man, his own person, who could decide things himself, but it was thanks to Eren’s jabs that he’d made that choice. With a sigh, he plopped down on his bed and decided to turn to the one person who knew him almost as well as he knew himself

“Rogue, did I make the right choice tonight?” Eren asked softly as to not be overheard.

“In leaving him alone? Probably not. In saving his life?  _ Of course.  _ You protected him no matter the cost even if it would have killed you. Let’s say it did kill you, then it would have provided him enough of a distraction to let him flee. Eren, don’t doubt yourself now. Yes, your emotion got the best of you, but it also led you to jump into the fray and save his life not cause it to be taken or incur any other collateral damage,” Rouge explained.

Eren sighed “But Viper---”

“Can take care of herself  _ and  _ Jean,” Rogue finished for him as he interrupted. “Heads up. You have company coming. Take it, Eren, he needs you. He watched horrible things because of you tonight. Reconcile, apologize, and be smart. Man up, Eren.” 


	10. Limbic Satisfaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, been a while since I did a note. Sorry about that. Not feeling the best lately, as my classes begin to increase their demands of me. Last weekend I took a trip down to a different state to visit some friends, so I apologize for the lack of updates. Next weekend I will be working a music festival for the club I run meaning I will not have the time to update. Please bear with me. In May I will get two weeks off before the start of the next semester and I will have more time to write. I still love you, so please bear with me. I appreciate all your patience and understanding.
> 
> ~With Love,  
> Neko

Just as he turned to look up towards the door, Levi had knocked lightly. It was so soft that it had barely even registered. Had he have already been asleep then he never would have heard it. Eren rolled out of bed and moved to answer the door, pulling it open slowly.

Dressed in his usual sleepwear, Levi was leaning in the doorframe “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Shaking his head, Eren sighed “You didn’t. What’s wrong?”

“Can’t sleep,” Levi muttered knowing Eren could see through the lie the second it left his lips. Waving him inside, Eren reached for the door to shut it behind him. For a moment Levi didn’t seem to know where to sit or stand, so Eren loosely curled his fingers around Levi’s wrist and led him towards the bed as he laid out. He hadn’t expected Levi to awkwardly crawl into bed with him, but he didn’t really care either way.

Looking over to him, Eren laid on his side “So, what’s on your mind?”

“I’m sorry,” he began “because of _me_ \---”

“Stop,” Eren demanded firmly. “ _I’m_ sorry. This was my fault as well. I caused your impudent behavior. Just please don’t place this solely on yourself.” Curling into himself, Levi began to remind him of a cat with the way he was acting. Timid and scared was not his forte, and Eren wanted to remedy that yet didn’t know if he _could_ handle it. In a split second, all of Eren’s beliefs flew out a window like dust during spring cleaning. Wasn’t he already compromised? Then he could act as he damn well pleased. Draping his arm over Levi’s shoulders, he pulled him closer to his body and it seemed to have had the desired effect. Levi moved into him and laid his head against his chest. What truly surprised him was the feeling of Levi’s chilled fingers brushing past his cheek to turn Rogue on.

Beginning, Levi smiled “Hey, Rogue, I’m sorry about tonight. I know it had its effects on you too. Thank you.”

Echoing in Eren’s head, Rogue laughing “Haha, he’s something else, Eren. You expect to just continue letting him slip through your fingers? Tell him that I’m glad he’s safe.”

Answering the question, Eren clicked his teeth “Tsk, of course I’m not gonna, Rogue, not anymore, so stop your spiel before it comes. I can feel it, and you know I’m tired. Levi, he said that you’re welcome and he’s just glad you’re safe.” He didn’t have more than a second to rationalize what was happening when Levi stretched up and placed a featherlight kiss to the right corner of his mouth.

“That wasn’t for you,” he whispered before laying back in front of him.

Blinking back his surprise, Eren couldn’t believe what just happened as Rogue spoke “He’s good. If only I swung that way and had a corporeal form.”

Grabbing Levi’s hand, Eren smirked “You know, Rogue is in my head, Levi. He’s also as gay as a parallel line.”

 _“Shame,”_ Levi huffed “he seems to be the only one of you with sense.”

“Only here for him then?” Eren asked with a raised, intrigued brow.

Levi scoffed “No, but _one_ of you won’t let me near you.” As a sweet, playful gesture, Eren raised Levi’s hand to his mouth. Momentarily confused about what was about to happen, Levi stared on in wonder as Eren kissed the tip of his middle finger before nibbling. A gasp of surprise left Levi’s lips, that sounded more suggestive than anything, leaving him with cherry cheeks.

With a laugh, Eren explained “It’s not that, Levi, I told you I’m--- I _was_ trying to do my job, but I already wound up being emotionally involved. Not acting on how I felt was driving me insane. Bottling that up was harder than I thought it would be. Watching you smile and laugh over silly little things like giant salamanders and cranes as we watched Wild China, to the way you hold your tea when you’re cold, or the way the sun shines in through the blinds in your classroom casting a nearly angelic glow over your skin made me realize how hard it was to stand by you and not say or do anything.”

Befuddled, Levi asked “Where does that leave us then?” A citrine glow began to spread down Eren’s body as his right hand reached up to Levi’s face before flicking him in the space between his brows. “Oww, Rogue,” he pouted “that’s not very nice.”

“I think you’re going to have to _show_ him,” Rogue offered suggestively.

Taking his direction with a filthy grin, Eren nodded “I think you’re right, Rogue. Goodnight.”

As Rogue gave a little wave to Levi he responded “Have fun, boys. Get some rest. I’ll take the liberties of calling Levi out of the office and post the notice of canceling his classes.”

“Sounds good,” Eren responded before the lights faded and he’d turned off the second voice in his head. Finally, they were alone. Eren still had a hold on Levi’s hand and flipped it over to begin kissing up his fingers, up his palm, and up to his wrist. Humming delightedly, Eren whispered huskily “Mmmm, Levi, your skin is so soft.”

Mouth agape, Levi just nodded listlessly “Thank you.”

“As it sits, Rogue has canceled your classes in the morning, no doubt citing a fake illness to cover it up, so tomorrow it’ll be just you and me until 5pm. Tonight, while I’d love to, I don’t think---” The rest of his words were stolen from his lips as Levi had taken advantage of their close proximity and captured his lips. Finally, the silken serenity of Levi’s lips on his own was his to savor. Hand sliding to frame his jaw and pull him closer, Eren secured his hold on Levi as he returned his kiss just as desperately. Taking the time to really taste Levi on his lips, Eren tilted his jaw to deepen their kiss until the two were breathless, pulling away with soft pants.

“You can’t tease me and tell me that we can’t after waiting so long,” Levi whined.

Eren nodded with a smirk as he got closer “I suppose not. You’re such a handful.”

Hand gliding up from Eren’s knee to his inseam, Levi arched a brow as he cupped his hand at Eren’s groin “And you’re _more_ than one.”

 _“Fuck,”_ Eren hissed under his breath before wiggling and attempting to sit up a bit. It would be better for his shoulder that way. “Who’s teasing whom now, hmm?”

“But I’m not about to tell you to just go to bed,” Levi countered.

“You should though,” Eren sighed as he grabbed Levi’s wrist. Tugging it away from him, he then laced his fingers with Levi’s “You’ve seen things today that were traumatic to say the least.”

“So have you,” Levi rebutted.

Knowing it was going to be a battle, Eren shrugged “I’m used to it now.”

Levi held his gaze “Worse things have been done to me.”

“Doesn’t matter if you’ve seen or experienced things that are worse. What matters it that you still had to see it at all,” Eren explained with a slight frown.

“Maybe I need to be _comforted_ then,” Levi offered softly as he searched Eren’s gaze for any hint of surrender.

“Keep staring at me like that, kitten, and I’ll have to devour you,” Eren smirked smugly as he could practically feel the tension wafting off Levi’s skin in a thick cloud. An inkling of him was still reluctant to say the least, but the way he’d phrased it by “needing comfort” reminded him of himself. It didn’t always work out that way but he wanted this and so did Levi. If this was their way, their excuse, then he was certainly going to take it.

“Go ahead,” Levi whispered seductively, voice dripping alluring honey as he leaned into Eren’s ear “you’ve kept me waiting for _far_ too long.”

“Is that an order?” Eren purred as he slid a lone fingertip down Levi’s throat.

Shivering at the ghosting touch, Levi nodded “Yes. Sleep with me, Eren."

Attempting to regain his fleeting composure, he smirked devilishly “Yes, sir.” As he gently tugged him closer, he nibbled at the lobe of his ear “You’re lucky I didn’t take the _easy_ way out of that order.”

“You still could,” Levi whimpered as he felt the sharp graze of Eren’s teeth on his skin.

“Why would I,” he started before kissing the bared tendon of Levi’s throat “when you’re making such _sweet_ sounds at barely being touched?” At just the touch of his skin, Levi’s breath had stunted resulting in a soft mewl tumbling from his lips. Something so simple was sending a rush of electricity through his body, driving him to long for more than just a brief connection. Acting on his impulse, Levi reached out only to shove Eren’s back to the mattress before crawling into his lap and seizing his lips roughly.

Not one to ignore such a bold act, Eren let one hand rest at the back of Levi’s neck while the other rested at his hip. Keeping him held securely against him helped him realize it was all too real. Feeling the way the tip of his tongue brushed his lip before darting past it and into his mouth as he gave the opening was almost more than he could stand. He’d dreamt about being able to touch him, to kiss him so passionately, yet the fact of the matter was that it was happening and he needed to clear the haze in his mind to act rather than being a passenger.

Deciding to push back, Eren curled his fingers into Levi’s hip and slung him over. Letting himself be easily tossed onto his back, Levi stared up into nearly feral turquoise eyes alight only with the overwhelming desire to claim him. Reaching up, Levi brushed his fingers through Eren’s hair. Eren hummed and bent down to kiss him feverishly while fire rolled in his veins. He wanted to do more than just kiss Levi but the barrier of his insecurities gave him cause for concern. Would Levi allow him to do as he wished or were things going to come to a screeching halt? The only way to find out was to act.

Fingertips pushing up the fabric of Levi’s shirt, Eren began to distract him from the act by allowing himself to let a low moan slip. Kissing down Levi’s jaw to his throat, he let himself be free of any inhibition much like he wanted of Levi. Both of their bodies weren’t exactly considered the normal and so he was well aware of the nerves that came with people intimately touching his body. His own insecurities existed, and so he opted for the idea that if he showed Levi his own, then he’d be more comfortable to allow Eren to see his in return.

Leaning back, Eren decided to shimmy out of his pants leaving him in nothing but a pair of miniscule boxer briefs hugging to every curve. Eyes fluttering open at the lack of contact, Levi looked over to see Eren tying up his hair in a short ponytail, baring nearly the entirety of his body to him. He could easily see little white marks on his skin that had likely been there long before his nanobytes could heal them. Beautifully tanned skin and a stunningly toned core had Levi drinking in the sight slowly, as if to savor it all like it would leave come sunrise. Timidly, he stretched out a hand to trace all the circuitry patterns in Eren’s skin. He could easily see where the skin around the sides of the path had been burnt by the procedure but only barely.  

Eren took a moment to allow Levi’s curious fingers around his body, tracing his circuitry as it ran down the length of his body. Some pathways were a little more ticklish than others, especially as Levi’s fingers slipped down to this thigh.

“They’re _everywhere,”_ he whispered as he then looked up to Eren who nodded.

“I even have one on my hip, shin, and the top of my foot,” Eren replied as he loomed over him “but they’re as much a part of me as the other scars on my body. Just as yours are.” Understanding then, the meaning behind his actions, Levi’s brows knit. Being insecure about his body was the understatement of the century. When Eren began to raise his shirt up, revealing a section of his stomach, Levi instinctively shoved his hands away.

Watching Eren’s features fall, Levi had to immediately grab his fleeting hands “I’m sorry. Habit. I trust you….just, it’s hard. I’m not used to anyone being able to see the scars, to see…. _me.”_

“I don’t care about them,” Eren stated as he kissed the tip of Levi’s nose playfully “I care about _you.”_ Moving his kisses across his available skin, Eren continued “About your smile and your laugh, your dreams and your hopes, and I want to be here to let you overcome your fears. Starting with this one. May I?” His fingers toyed with bottom hem of Levi’s shirt once again. When Levi gave a hesitant nod, Eren pulled the shirt up his stomach and Levi assisted. With all of his abdomen exposed to him, Eren could pinpoint all the little scars mapping his skin. Taking his time as he littered Levi’s body in his kisses, Eren made sure to place a featherlight kiss atop each scar as he worked his way down his body. Maybe to some it was cheesy and odd, but to him it was appreciating the fact Levi was being open to him.

Moving slowly, Eren took his time to lavish Levi’s skin in his attention. Feeling his body convulse and tremble under his touch was more than enough repayment but he had something else in mind. Dropping his mouth to Levi’s navel, Eren mouthed down to the band of his lounge pants as a free hand slipped to his inner thigh. Back arching at the wave of pleasure across his skin, Levi moaned slightly beneath the touch and so Eren continued. Taking the drawstrings in his teeth, he yanked back and freed the knot allowing him to tug them down on his hips noticing something interesting, or rather the lack of something interesting; like his boxers.

Glancing up with a smirk, Eren mapped his own marks up Levi’s porcelain skin, delighting in seeing the evidence of himself across him. When he’d made it back up his throat, Eren kissed along his jaw before moving back just as Levi sought to capture his lips. He gave a teasing chuckle before kissing him tenderly and shoving his hand down the front of Levi’s lounge pants. A surprised gasp left his mouth as he broke the kiss and leaned his head back on the pillows. Levi clearly hadn’t expected Eren to coil his fingers around his cock and stroke him as he kissed him. What could he say? He liked multitasking.

Nipping harshly at his skin, Eren continued to mark him as he kept a deft hand around Levi’s cock. Levi’s quiet moans at the sharp suction at his neck versus the pleasure stemming from Eren’s hand down his pants confused even him. He couldn’t tell which he was moaning from more. Both were electric and sending a current through his body unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Wrapping an arm around Eren’s shoulder, Levi pulled himself closer and distracted him from his actions. Eren could feel the desire clawing at him and so his free hand framed Levi’s jaw delicately. It seemed that Levi, however, had something else in mind when he bit at the first piece of Eren’s throat he pulled himself too.

A low growl vibrated  in the back of Eren’s throat, but he continued to allow Levi to mark him as he wished. After all, he’d done the exact same thing and feeling the desperate, sloppy actions made him realize just how much of a wreck Levi already was. He knew then that his next action would have Levi melting. Listening to him smother his sounds in his kisses sent a shiver down his spine. Chances were high that Levi’s erotic noises would be the death of him and his composure alike.

Raking his fingers through Levi’s hair, he hummed “Mmm, you’re so beautiful, so perfect, but I can’t wait to taste you any longer.” Levi’s actions ceased as he willingly released his hold on him and laid back to the bed while Eren set back to leaving blazing kisses down his body. Ripping off his pants, with a little help as Levi lifted his hips, Eren dropped them over the edge of the bed and licked a slow, hot line up the underside of Levi’s cock. The action had taken his breath but Eren was just getting starting. Reducing Levi to a series of pants and low moans was easier than he’d thought it would be. Sucking gently on the head before winding a teasing trail down his shaft, Eren began to take his composure as well. It was nearly impossible to keep up any inkling of composure when Eren began to submit him to the hot, wet confines of his mouth, taking his length in various increments for what began to feel like an eon.

As he began to feel the pressure mounting in the pit of his stomach Levi’s fingers raced to claw into the sheets letting out a strangled warning _“Eren, I’m gonna cu--”_

Before he could finish, Eren ceased his actions and a wet pop echoed in the room “Can’t have that. Not yet.”

Panting heavily, skin flushed and beaded slightly with sweat, Levi whimpered _“Eren!”_

“Easy,” Eren soothed “give me a minute.” Sauntering across the room after leaving Levi painfully high and not so dry, Eren began to rummage around in the bags he’d brought with him. Locating the bottle of lubricant and a condom, he climbed back into bed and smirked. Levi didn’t bother to pay attention to much else before kissing him feverishly and dragging him flush against his body. Objecting to the action was not in Eren’s mind at all and so he let the items lay at his side while delighting in Levi’s kiss. Rocking his hips a bit into the action, garnering friction for them both, Levi drowned several moans into Eren’s mouth.  
  
Reaching for Levi’s hair, Eren carefully wove his fingers through the black silk and yanked, taking Levi’s breath. With such an action he could see the carnal urge in Levi’s eyes roar. He liked a little bit of pain. So be it. Moving back and releasing his hold, Eren nibbled the edge of Levi’s bottom lip and gave him a wink. He began to then liberally coat his fingers in the lubricant before taking Levi once again into his mouth. Smearing the dribbled precum down his shaft with the tip of his tongue, he began to nudge a slick finger at Levi’s entrance. Only when he saw Levi’s nod did he plunge the finger into the tensed, immense heat of his body.

Finger rubbing excitedly against the muscled walls of his body, Eren began a subtle thrust and explore of the first digit. Levi’s hips gradually began to steadily rock back against the intrusion and that was his cue to add the second. Splaying apart from the first and stretching the area, the addition of the second digit proved to be all the more enticing. While Eren was teasing him from two places, Levi’s body quivered and his praises of Eren’s name and a god he didn’t believe in were becoming incoherent. Unimportant if he could decipher the moans or not, Eren was simply busy indulging himself as he was Levi. Each sound was pure bliss for him and he wanted more.

At the loud, arduous moan tearing from Levi’s lips and the sudden shake of his body, Eren knew he’d driven his thrust into Levi’s prostate. Aiming again for it, Eren thrust harder, entered the third slick finger, and took the entirety of Levi’s length into his mouth. Simultaneous stimuli brought him closer to the brink of orgasm and this time Eren refused to delay it. Urging him faster, Eren increased the speed behind his actions and waited until Levi cried for him in that sweet begging voice so wantonly before relenting. Clearing away the tepid, milky liquid from his lips and throat, Eren sat back and wiped the corners of his mouth. Levi was attempting to catch his breath but the sight of Eren had stripped it away yet again as he’d reached for the condom and ripped open the packaging with his teeth.

Impatient, Eren spat the remnants of the plastic into the floor and shimmied out of his boxers. As his eyes moved to catch Levi’s, one corner of his lip curled up in a showy smirk. Knowing that he was being watched aroused him, and so he drew out the action. Giving himself a slow, firm, stroke before rolling the condom over his skin, Eren made sure Levi’s eyes were on him. He applied another thin layer of lubricant before dragging Levi closer by the hips. A quick yelp had left his lips as he’d been pulled down the bed, but only in surprise.

Kissing him sweetly, Eren hovered atop him and began the push into his body. The tight heat of his body immediately sent his skin pricking. His teeth grit as his jaw clenched until he was completely sheathed inside Levi’s body. Levi’s fingernails had raked down his shoulders, no doubt leaving red welts in their wake, but it was a pleasant kind of pain that only came in the heat of the moment. As Levi adjusted to the feeling, Eren littered him in kisses and affectionate whispers. Only when Levi wiggled his hips in anticipation did Eren give the first thrust of his hips, taking both their breaths as he did so.

Remembering to be gentle was difficult. He knew that Levi needed slow and deliberate and that was exactly what he was going to do. Each thrust only added to the smolder between them, increasing the heat coursing through their bodies. Open mouthed and panting, Levi kept his hands on Eren’s shoulders without even thinking twice of his bandage. Hell, Eren didn’t care about it anyhow. The euphoria would soon override the twinge of pain, and he was too lost in Levi’s body to care about his own. Making Levi feel good was his number one priority, and ensuring he was drowning in him like he was in Levi was the second.

Hips rocking back into Eren’s, Levi kept to the rhythm and connected his lips to Eren’s when he could. The pressure building in the pit of his stomach was beginning to cause an ache that needed to be released. First, however, he wanted to drive Eren mad. Doing his best wasn’t enough. Levi moved his fingers to Eren’s hair and pulled on the hair tie holding it back. He wanted his fingers in that shaggy mess, and he wanted to drag him down to him. Every inch of him he wanted to feel, and so he began to glide his hands over every muscle he could. Feeling out the drastic expand and contraction of his ribs as he breathed so heavily, the broad expanse of his chest, and the silk of his hair as he knotted his fingers in it, Levi wanted everything of Eren’s.

The rush of Levi’s hands over his body was divine. He hadn’t even cared about his hair being down, making it hotter, or the way he could feel Levi tugging it. It just caused his fingertips to dig into his hips and jerk him back harder into each thrust as they become unbridled, lost in the passion and heat of each other’s embrace. Losing themselves to tantric bliss was a feeling they’d both been hunting, longing for, for far too long. Now that it was theirs it was affecting them and their stamina greatly.

Eren could feel the tensing of Levi’s muscles and hear the cracks in his voice, knowing that he was close to his climax. Reaching between them he secured a hand around his cock and stroked him in tandem to his thrusts.

 _“Oh god, Eren!!~~”_ Came the final, broken, moan to fall over Levi’s lips before he orgasmed. Eren wasn’t far behind him and with such a sweet cry of his name he certainly found himself closer to the edge than he’d realized. Using what little stamina and strength was in his heavy body, Levi met Eren’s hips and rushed his fingers through his sweat dampened hair to kiss him. During their kiss, Eren had suffocated the low groan of Levi’s name as his hips stuttered and faltered. For a moment, he broke the kiss and let his forehead rest against Levi’s. Staring into one another’s eyes and breathing heavily, skin flushed and covered in various fluids, Eren found himself unable to tear himself away.  
  
Everything he wanted, in that moment, he had. The euphoria running in his veins was nothing compared to getting to the wide, toothy grin on Levi’s face. Giving him a tender kiss, Eren then collapsed onto the bed with a pained wince from landing hard on his shoulder. Immediately, Levi turned over on his side looking at him with wide, quickly darting eyes. Instead of a single word, Eren placed a hand on Levi’s cheek, thumb in front of his ear and smiled. It was all he needed to say he was okay. After his breathing stabilized, he got up from bed and set to cleaning things up. He’d returned with a towel and a damp washcloth for Levi who was still laying atop the blankets and staring off blankly into space. Eren laughed a bit as he crawled into bed and just watched him.

When he’d cleaned himself off, Levi exhaled “Damn.”

Chuckling at the response, Eren wrapped an arm beneath his neck, toying with the ends of his hair “Haha, worth the wait?”

Nodding, Levi sighed contentedly and laid his head on Eren’s shoulder “Mhmm, definitely. Only there’s one problem.”

As Levi draped his arm over his stomach, Eren asked “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

Looking up with a grin, Levi answered “I want it _more_ now.”

“Well, I may have been a soldier, but I definitely need rest. I don’t think I’ve been so quick since my first,” Eren admitted with a crease in his brow.

Blinking in surprise, Levi questioned him “That was _fast_ for you?”

“Cyborg,” Eren reminded him with a smug grin “my stamina is normally a lot better than the average person. Next time, I hope I’ll get to demonstrate.”

“Mmmm,” Levi hummed blissfully “my first cyborg.”

“Your _last,”_ Eren corrected before swiftly stealing a kiss. “Now, come on, sleep with me.” Levi nodded wearily and took a second kiss before nuzzling against Eren and letting his heavy eyelids fall. Fighting sleep after shutting off the lamp, Eren just wanted to make sure that Levi was truly asleep before allowing himself to drift off. He’d finally gotten what he wanted but it wasn’t good enough. Now he wanted more too. He wanted everything Levi was and ever would be. He’d never had someone to come home to in the military but now that he was out he still wanted to find home and someone to come home too. He might have been a little ahead of things but he was pretty sure home rested in a rare smile meant only for him and hazy blue eyes.


	11. You Versus Me

Waking up before Levi was a godsend. Getting to see the normally perfect and prime professor clinging to him as if he’d slip away, drooling on his arm, and hair a wild, unkempt mess was beautiful. If there was something to make it better it might have been that he was even snoring a little. Why the sight made him so blissful he didn’t know, but he felt butterflies in his stomach and the desire to kiss him stupid. Of course, he wasn’t going to wake him. No, he could stare at that image for hours and never tire of it. To him, Levi looked perfect.

For a while he did just that and watched him sleep, laughing at how he’d even said Eren’s name in his sleep. Unfortunately it was nearing eight in the morning and keeping to his schedule meant having to get up even if he didn’t like it. Levi could sleep in all damn day if he wanted, Eren would let him, but he himself needed to be up. Attempting to free himself from Levi’s grip, Eren tried to wiggle free but failed. When he’d tried to flee for the shower, Levi only drug himself closer and mumbled as he buried his face in Eren’s chest. It was impossible to resist.

Just as he’d gotten comfortable again, however, he heard a noise and pressed Rogue. He was about to reach for the pistol in the bedside table when Rogue informed him it was a friend, not foe, coming to check on them. Krista pushed open the bedroom door with such a wide, knowing smile that she couldn’t hide her excitement over the progression. She mouthed “Finally” silently and then waited for Eren to say something. 

“Shut up and don’t speak,” he mouthed “I won’t need you here until 5 when I go to work.” She gave him a nod and another happy little smile before trotting out and shutting the door behind her. When the area was clear, he laid back and decided that he was going to have to wake up Levi if he wanted to move. He gently placed a kiss to his nose and pushed his hair away from his face before speaking. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. How’d you sleep?”

Grumbling but opening his eyes, Levi mumbled “Can tell you when I’m awake. Still sleepy.”

“I know what’ll wake you up,” Eren whispered seductively. “Wanna join me in the shower?” At his words, Levi looked up to him with surprise. He’d not expected that apparently, and at first it seemed to perk him up. After he’d given it some thought the hesitation set in.

“I dunno,” he replied through a yawn.

“I can carry you there myself,” Eren offered with a smile “and I’ve seen your body. Quite up close and _personal_. We’re both still very naked, Levi, and they don’t bother me.” As he watched Levi’s face contort with various emotions on the subject, Eren kissed him “C’mon. I promise I won’t make a move on you if that’s it.”

Levi shook his head “No, it’s not that. I just….it still feels _weird_ to be naked around someone who can see them. I’ve never been naked around anyone in broad daylight.” 

“Yeah?” Eren questioned. “Then let’s make sure that you enjoy it. You said you wanted it more, right? Well, I’m more than happy to oblige your every desire this morning.” To prove his point, and maybe convince him, Eren rolled Levi onto his back and began to kiss him. Marking Levi’s skin and running his hands along his body was already making him squirm. It seemed like he was busy remembering the night’s activities and more than enjoying himself. Eren climbed off the bed and held out an open hand. Levi took it, already in a daze, and followed him to the shower. 

Opting for a lazy morning of debauchery, Levi had no qualms about Eren giving him what he wanted. Fucking in the shower, back against the glass and Eren’s fingertips digging near painfully into his thighs was a fantastic way to start the morning. Eren hadn’t even bothered with wrapping up his wound afterwards aside from a simple bandage, he was more worried about helping Levi. He’d gotten a little lightheaded from the steam and the hot water mixing in with their morning activity. Though Levi was exhausted, Eren was proud and had quite the elated  expression painted on his face.

Knowing, however, after all their exercise that Levi shouldn’t be doing too much Eren had decided to fix breakfast. Levi was adamant to help once he felt better and Eren agreed on the condition that he not interfere. Of course, Levi had his own plans and set to making something completely different so that the two of them wound up on opposite ends of the kitchen. When they were both done they shared their breakfast in more ways than one.

Eren cut a piece of the pancake he’d been busy making and offered some to Levi. Without missing a beat, Levi leaned over and took the bite Eren already forked from the plate. Eren looked stunned at the uncharacteristic action but then couldn’t stop laughing. Offering out a slice of bacon, Eren copied his action and just took a bite straight from the source. The two enjoyed their morning laughing and sharing food, and Levi never once asked anything about why Rogue had been on when he awoke or why Krista and Jean hadn’t stopped by. Instead, he was more focused on enjoying a lazy morning of nature documentaries with Eren on the sofa.

Finally, Eren got his wish and grabbed Levi to pull him into his side as they curled up. Resting his head on Eren’s shoulder, Levi took to cuddling up to him rather easily. He’d wanted that too and feeling Eren’s hand at his hip and his arm wrapped around him made things seem like a dream. Both were all too happy to forget about anything else but each other as the time passed them by.

After a few episodes, Levi glanced up to Eren “Hey, we should practice for your exam.”

“No need,” Eren replied lazily “what do you think I’ve been doing when I was sitting on my hands?”

“Oh,” Levi responded “so what now? Do we just sit here watching Netflix all day?”

“Is that what you want to do? Because it’s up to you. I have nothing to do until 5 and anytime spent with you is time well spent,” came Eren’s response as he pressed a gentle kiss to Levi’s forehead. 

Levi took a moment and nodded “Then, yeah, that’s exactly what I’d like to do. I have a lot of other things to do, but I think I’d rather sit here and let myself relax for once.”

“Good plan,” Eren chuckled softly before hitting the next episode. Bliss was an understatement of what they both felt as they lied together and let all worry roll off their backs. Nothing else seemed to matter. It was as if everything weighing on their minds became insignificant for a couple of hours. After a bit, Eren finally engaged Rogue “Hey, Rogue, did you get what I asked earlier? It’s about time we get something done.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Rogue asked. “It’s dangerous not only for you but for everyone.”

Eren nodded “Oh yeah, I’m sure. I’ve had enough. Get Viper and Bloodeye in on it, and tell them to keep comms open. It’s gonna be a day trip for sure, so make sure they rotate out when I’m gone.”

Confused and concerned, Levi pouted “What exactly are you planning, and what do you mean a day trip? You’re going to be gone all day?”

“Not planning anything too bad,” Eren answered as he squeezed Levi tight “but I won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon sometime more than likely. Jean will have to be in class with you.”

“So, we won’t get to be together tonight?” Levi asked, eyes softening.

“Unfortunately. I didn’t think you’d be so dependent haha,” he chuckled in an attempt to cast an illusion over the rest of the story “but I promise when I get back it’s whatever you want.”

Brows furrowing at the jab, he huffed “It better be. I didn’t know it was so bad to want to sleep with you.”

Jostling him, Eren kissed his cheek “Aww, c’mon, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just not how I imagined you. I didn’t think you’d be so cuddly. It’s pretty adorable.”

Rolling his eyes in clear distaste, Levi mumbled “Whatever.” In the moment all traces of feigned frustration were gone from his face. Instead concern overtook it and his voice dropped to a whisper “ I don’t know what you’re doing, Eren, but, please, be careful.”

With another delicate kiss, Eren promised “Of course I’ll be careful. Now, Viper and Bloodeye just arrived. I have to get ready for work, and then I’ll have to head out. Put as much trust in me, in them. I sure as hell do.” Levi solemnly nodded as the door swung open to Jean and Krista. Quickly, he handed off the reigns and went to get dressed. There was a lot of pressure building on him as he decided to finally go through with his plan. It was something he’d been keeping to himself, but he was sick and tired of waiting. He was tired of being a sitting duck, tired of not knowing who was coming after them next, and tired of his efforts bearing no viable leads. If he had to take extreme measures to ensure a ripple in the pond then by all means he was going to take it. 

Once he was dressed, Eren gathered his things and met Levi in the kitchen. Giving him a kiss before leaving earned a short catcall from their companions. Dismissing it readily, Eren chuckled and made his way out the door. Work was standing in the way of what he had to do, but it was still a commitment that he made which he had to keep. While there, however, his mind was in several different places. First, editing his security badge was a little necessary, but it probably wasn’t going to take much once he looked the part. Protecting Levi was truly more important to him than anything else. Everything he planned on doing was for him, and no one was going to stand in the way of that. Someone would get to Levi over his cold, rotten corpse. 

Thankfully work seemed to fly by with all the work he was busied with. No one even questioned the laminate sealing his badge, as most of them began to show wear after a bit. By the end of his shift, he already had an exact play by play in his head of how things were going to work. Instead of stopping by Levi’s Eren drove back to his apartment. Levi wasn’t the only one who could wear a suit and look respectable. He opted to tie his hair back in a low, loose ponytail and fit himself with a pair of reading glasses to appear more believable. He was a bit old to be playing pretend, but if it got him within range then it was worth it. Being caught  faking his credentials, however, meant a very real punishment that included incarceration. He needed to be perfect.

Suited up and properly concealed, Eren strolled leisurely out of his apartment and prepared for his drive out to Leeson View State Penitentiary. Visitation began at 8am, so he had to endure seven hours to get there by the time visitation started. He wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible without much notice. From Rogue’s intel he knew that Levi’s father had been receiving multiple visits from a couple of people, but most were from his attorney's office. What exactly did the man have need of an attorney for anymore? In the supermax, there was no need to be concerned with potential of getting out, at least not by legitimate means. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anyone who was unaware of who the man was. It was highly unlikely there were even grounds for a retrial. 

Nonetheless, he needed to be momentarily versed in some of the details of the case. It was foul in every manner of the word, but it had to be done. Facing down the demon in Levi’s nightmares was going to be one of the ultimate tests of self control he’d likely ever be in. How he was supposed to antagonize the man while also remaining placid was yet to be seen. Rogue would be there if he needed him, but there wasn’t much to go on. In just a short while he’d get to see the monster that wove every fabric of Levi’s hell on earth. He’d be one of the few to speak with the man and likely live after saying the things he’d planned to. They were getting nowhere, so he opted to dial things up a notch and strike at the heart of it all: Levi’s father.

Driving past the initial inspection gates already had his blood pumping. An easy smile here and there had him gaining traction among the officers easily. He appeared every part of the new associate in the Drexel and Terious Law Firm with the way he was carrying himself. A bit nervous, falling over his words, fumbling with his badge, and clearing his throat as he stood straight all allowed him past the officers with ease. It said something that they only briefly glanced at his badge before buzzing him inside. Barbed razor wire strung high atop the electric fencing around the perimeter, walls of thick concrete, and barred cages told the story of no one truly caring where they slung the nation’s worst criminals. Even if they were simply trash to be discarded as the worst of the worst, didn’t that stand to reason that their security shouldn’t be so lax? 

In the end it didn’t matter. A little lax had worked in his favor and he was then being led on his way to a cell. Two armed officers stood just inside the cell, standing as silent sentries there to protect him in case something went awry. Eren couldn’t help but laugh internally. The gaunt, gruff, older gentlemen weren’t truly there for protecting anything. From the looks of it they couldn’t take down a little bunny rabbit let alone someone like himself. Thinking they were a joke was an understatement to what Eren’s complete thoughts of them were. He didn’t have much time between thinking it and finishing the thought, however, when he heard the tell tale of clinking, rattling chains. He had to be prepared for the moment the door swung open and the man was brought inside, so he took a breath to calm himself.

Schooling himself as the door opened, Eren rose to his feet in order to greet the man with a smile as false as the one he too wore. Barely scraping the bar at 5’9, it was no wonder Levi’s height never sprouted. His mother had to have been small as well. From examining the man garbed in garrish beige and olive, clad head to toe in chains, Eren gathered that there were only small features that Levi shared with him such as their noses, brow and jaw lines, and their shoulders. Sage eyes, a wide, cruel smile curled his lips, and a well groomed appearance sent shivers down Eren’s spine. What some may have seen as charismatic and collected, Eren saw as callous and cold. He was always a good read of character and Eli Ackerman was vile and rotten to his core. 

“You can all leave, please,” Eren smiled warmly as he adjusted himself. “This is a privileged meeting.” When they nodded and left, Eren breathed comfortably and returned to his seat. 

As Eli took his seat, he regarded Eren with curiosity “You’re not my lawyer, or his assistant. Are you so sure it was safe to send the guards out?”

Fighting the urge to retch at his words, Eren kept his hollow smile and turned to the left “Oh, them? As far as I’m concerned they were here for _your_ safety; not mine.” Knowing that his frigid, detached tone had given him away, Eren folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. 

Eli hummed “Mhmm, I see, so you’re the abomination I keep hearing of.”

“Charmed,” Eren smirked as he reached up to turn on Rogue “I’m so flattered you’ve heard of me.” 

Scoffing in derision, Eli crowed “Your soul is already doomed to the eternal flames of perdition. The second you messed with god’s creation you were cast aside in the grand plan.”

“My soul is none of your business,” Eren seethed before he took on his own devilish grin “and neither is your son’s. I’m here to give you a warning: cut the false prophet bullshit, leave your son alone, and I will let you continue to breath in the wretched, filth filled air of this shit hole until your last day.”

“Foolish monster you are,” Eli responded flatly “my son’s soul is every _bit_ my business. He must be cleansed of his foul filth in order to join me in absolution.”

Eren snarled _**“Absolution?!**_ You’re fucking certifiable, aren’t ya? Just as insane as I thought you’d be. You send any more of your disciples, and I **will** kill them. That is a promise.”

“Why is there a need?” Eli posed, cruel, cool tone seeping into his words. “I plan on seeing him myself. My day of reckoning comes with the longest night. Levi and I will cleanse our souls and ascend.”

Blood continuing to boil, Eren arched a brow “You come through that door, and I will be the _only_ one waiting for you.”

“I’ve no fear of you, Cyborg,” he retorted “your soul is lost and of no importance. Levi’s isn’t. He deserves to see his mother again. We deserve to be happy together.”

“Eventually he will be, but you won’t. Now he deserves to be with the man he cares about. He deserves his own happiness as he sees fits, no matter what that entails,” Eren answered honestly, a bit of a true smile curling his lips. 

Palm slamming on the table, Eli shook his head “Absolutely not! I will not allow my son to bathe and wallow in filth and sin!”

Eren straightened a bit as he squared his shoulders “Nice to meet you, Mr. Ackerman, I guess I must be filth and sin. Oh, and let me tell you something, he does a whole lot more than _wallow_ in sin with me.” At the pride in Eren’s voice, Eli began to break his composure. The raise of his voice had been the first crack, but he’d just shattered it with that simple statement. 

“You!” He screamed as he struggled in his restraints, voice a harsh rasp, eyes flaring with ire. 

Standing from his seat, Eren leaned closer over the table  **“Me.”** Voice dropping, Eren whispered “This is my last warning, Mr. Ackerman, leave him be, or I will hunt you all to extinction and enjoy every second of depriving you of what you want most.”

“I will cleanse the earth from all scourge like you!!” Eli howled frantically. 

“Bring it on,” Eren challenged “I’m right here, and I’ll be waiting at Levi’s place.” Turning his back to Eli, feeling more than proud, Eren made for the door. Before strolling out, he turned his head over his shoulder “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Levi praises God when I get back to him, Eli. Like he did last night, and this morning, all while screaming my name as I fucked him.” A slew of scathing retorts were slung at him as he exited the room. He couldn’t help but laugh! That was brilliant ending for a horrid experience. From just one meeting he could feel how atrocious the man was. Knowing he’d tortured Levi as a child was enough to already have him violent, but he’d gotten what he came for. They finally had a clue as to when everything was finally going to happen. In his anger, Eli Ackerman had given them a date.

“Do you really think that’s going to work?” Rogue asked amidst his thoughts.

Eren strolled right out of the prison gates with a grin “He’s going to want my head on a silver fucking platter after that. Whatever he’s planning we now have a date for. We can prepare for it. Train for it. It was also worth every bit of the effort to watch the light dim in his eyes when he realized. Antagonizing him was _almost_ as good as sex. Now, get me back to Levi.”

“Gonna make good on that promise?” Rogue teased.

“No, he’s gotta lecture tomorrow. Don’t need him hoarse,” Eren snickered “but I think you’re starting to get attached, Rogue.”  
  
Rogue gave him a slight laugh “Hah, you know that’s impossible, but he’s a good one, you know? I approve of your, uh, whatever you’re doing.”

“Nice to know,” Eren chirped pleasantly “he likes you too. I like that he’s not scared.”

“He’s too smart to be scared, Eren,” Rogue reminded. “He knows war means we’ve killed people. He’s seen some horrible shit himself, so if anyone can understand outside of servicemen it’s him.”

Climbing into the car, Eren smiled “Thanks, Rogue, now hurry and get me back to him.”


	12. Another Hit

On the drive back, Eren began to let his mind drift. Informing Levi of his return wasn’t exactly on the itinerary for the day, as he figured giving Levi a nice surprise would be fun. After all, there was some heavy baggage that he needed to explain, so doing something to watch the light in his hazy blue eyes dance would be a nice change. The discussion with Eli had gone exactly as he’d expected it to, but telling Levi about it was going to induce some nauseating emotions for Levi. Reliving some of the things that had been said to him as a child wouldn’t be the best for his mental health either. Eren was going to have to watch his words carefully, picking and choosing the pieces that should be avoided at all costs. No matter what, however, Eren had to discuss his findings.

When he arrived back at the college, Eren stealthily slipped across the campus and into Levi’s lecture. Catching a glimpse of his gaze following him, Eren chuckled to himself and stood behind Jean at the left to the front door. Amber eyes regarded him intensely before quirking a brow curiously. Eren gave a nod as Jean cracked open the door as silently as was possible before he slipped out, having avoided directly crossing the front line of the students’ views.

“Viper, you’re relieved, return to your assigned post. Rogue, 20, lecture hall until further notice,” Eren radioed off to Jean, quickly catching some gazes.

Static came over the radio before Jean responded “Roger that, Rogue, got your message while you were out. Home front has been quiet since you left.”

“10-4, Viper, static until further notice,” Eren announced before glancing to the front of the room. Levi was standing, brows raised, arms crossed over his chest. The look was not one that Eren liked; it meant he was in trouble. Using a professor’s tactic on him to get him to realize that Levi wasn’t enthused by his actions felt a bit like being chastised by a primary school teacher.   
  
Gesturing to an empty seat directly ahead of him, Levi cleared his throat “Mr. Jaeger, would you care to take a seat? You’re disruptions are interrupting my lecture.”   
  
With a teasing grin, Eren raised his hands defensively “Excuse me, Professor.” Before taking his seat, Eren decided he needed to have a little bit of fun. If Levi wanted to call him out then he’d make sure he got some form of revenge. Approaching Levi, Eren placed a delicate hand on his hip before bending just a hair to press a kiss to his cheek “I’m sorry for causing a ruckus; I just got back.”

Levi swooned a bit beneath the touch before regaining his composure to whisper “You smell. Go sit down.”

Brows wrinkling, Eren questioned “Good or bad?”

“Unbelievably good,” Levi harshly whispered “now sit down and let me focus.”    
  
Addressing the students, Eren nodded “Fine, fine, sorry kids. I’ll let you have your professor back now.” Obeying Levi’s wishes, Eren stepped over to the front of Levi’s podium and took a seat. Watching him as he spoke, hands gesticulating every so often to enforce his words, was purely captivating. Something seemed to drag him in as Levi spoke; he was completely engrossed in what Levi was explaining to his students. Perhaps there was a natural talent for speaking that flowed in his veins. 

By the time that he’d began to notice students packing up and filing away papers, an hour had already flown by. It was incredible how enraptured he’d been over something like a lecture. Schooling wasn’t something he’d ever excelled in, but when Levi was instructing, hell, he was pretty sure that he could learn whatever Levi was willing to teach. Had he more time to think on it, Eren was pretty sure there were some specific things Levi could teach him, but the sound of a lock twisting in place caught Eren’s attention instead. Jerking his head towards the sound, he looked over to see Levi standing at the door.    
  
Walking over to immediately slither his arms around Eren’s waist, Levi sighed against his chest “Where have you been? They wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone off gallivanting to.” 

Embracing Levi tightly, Eren hummed “I’ll tell you during office hours, but you’re going to have to promise me that you won’t overreact when I tell you.”

Glancing up skeptically, Levi sighed “Okay….I don’t like the sound of that. It doesn’t bode well at all.”

“Well,” Eren began delicately “I need to speak with Officer Bodt, Krista, and Jean as well. It, uh, was a massive step forward and backwards.”

“Now you’ve seriously got me worried, Eren,” Levi responded, concern brimming each word. “What did you do?”

Breaking their embrace, Eren paused before moving towards the door “I can’t say yet, but I need to step out, okay? Just to put in a call to the good officer. I can tell that you’re worried, Levi, but it’s gonna be alright. I promise.”

Levi huffed as Eren kissed his temple “Fine. Go on.” Eren could sense the obvious distaste he’d left in Levi’s mouth about the ordeal but that couldn’t be prevented. Once he stepped outside he put in a call to Marco and let him know that he needed to meet up with once Levi’s classes were done. Much to his surprise, Marco agreed rather quickly to meet up with them in Levi’s office. For an abrupt call to action, Marco seemed rather prepared for it. It was to be expected of Jean and Krista when he made the calls to each of them, but it still seemed a bit a tad bit strange to him that Marco was waiting for it at the drop of a hat. Then again, maybe he was being too quick to pass judgement on the thought. From what he knew of Marco and Levi’s relationship it was one that had survived a while; likely he just wanted to ensure his friend’s safety. 

Upon sneaking back into the lecture hall Eren sat himself next to the door. It provided less of a distraction to the students if he needed to leave. There were a couple more classes to sit through, but he found it of no large task to do so. While sitting in on the class he actually did begin to pick up on some knowledge. For the most part though, Eren spent his time following Levi’s every move. Every now and then Levi would snag his gaze, hold it for a moment, long enough to smile sweetly before moving on. Their lovers act had gone rather smoothly before the other night had anything to say about, still, he wondered if the students could pick up that something had changed between them. 

At the end of Levi’s final class, Eren assisted Levi with some things in the office and moving in an extra two chairs. Jean was quick to the office while they patiently awaited Krista and Marco’s arrival. Thankfully, Marco and Krista were on campus within fifteen minutes of Levi’s last class ending. Krista, Marco, and Jean took their seats in front of Levi’s desk while Eren opted to stand for a moment. Engaging Rogue encouraged Jean and Krista to bring in Viper and Bloodeye.

When it was clear all attention was focused on him, Eren began “Okay, so only Jean and Krista knew of my plans today. Viper and Bloodeye weren’t even brought in until this morning. Early this morning I donned a suit, a fake ID, and I snuck into Leeson View State Penitentiary as Eli Ackerman’s lawyer’s aide.” Air was sucked out of the room at Eren’s admittance of his earlier actions. Levi’s eyes were wide, filled with a furious energy that caused Eren to shrink a bit. Of course he’d be angry! 

Voice a low whisper, Levi questioned rhetorically “You did  _ what….?” _ _   
_ __   
“Listen,” Eren began to explain “I warned---”   
  
“You mean you threatened?” Marco interjected. “Eren, impersonating a lawyer’s aide and breaking into a prison could get you into serious trouble.”   
  
Sighing, Eren pinched the bridge of his nose “I know that, but I did what I had to. He won’t admit that it happened anyway; he was far too thrilled to be speaking to me without guards. What I did forced his hand to reveal his cards. Whatever he’s planning is happening in two weeks. ‘On the longest night of the night’ were his words to be exact.”   
  
Jean cocked his head to the side “The winter solstice? The longest night of the year, this year, is December 21st. What possible significance can that----”

“It’s the celebration of being born again,” Levi interrupted with a bitter edge “at least via spiritually. A celebration of birth. My father also believes that it is of no coincidence that I was born on Christmas. He’s a fucking nutbag!”

Eren scoffed, a laugh following it, “Yeah, believe you me, I got that much from just twenty minutes with him. I especially got that much when he said there was no help for my soul because I messed with the divine plan.”

“Yeah,” Levi nodded “you played god and ‘tainted’ yourself. Attempting to ‘fix’ God’s image is a huge no-no but then again so is being gay, believing in science, and vertitable fuck ton of other things. Why did you even go?”

“Because taunting him made him slip up. Now he wants my head on a silver platter, and he’s planning on coming and taking it himself,” Eren replied with a devious grin.    
  
Krista raised an intrigued brow “Why, exactly, aside from being a sinner beyond saving, does Eli Ackerman want you dead?”

Grin widening at the memory, Eren hummed delightedly “I left on a rather….interesting parting note….by way of stating there’s only one time Levi praises God, and it’s with me.”

Levi’s volume rose sharply as he screeched “You said what?!”

Marco snickered at Levi’s reddening features before responding to the situation “So, he’s planning a move obviously before this solstice. He’d have to be out by then in order to do so. You did goo, Eren, but you also made it that much worse. What you said to him is gonna have you as a personal target. Before you were just a distraction to get out of the way, but now you’ve rattled the rage of a rabid dog.”   
  
“He’s real good at making things worse,” Krista tossed in.

Eren’s brows knit towards Krista “Hey! Look, just keep an eye out. The prison is too lax in security. I seriously just flashed my hospital security badge and wore a suit and a pair of glasses. Whatever is gonna happen is obviously going to include an escape. Prepare for it, but I don’t guess there is a way to stop it.”

“Not entirely true,” Marco countered quickly. “Under suspicion, a prisoner can be monitored at all times after threats. I cannot prevent the escape, but I can damn well make it that much harder for it to happen. Linking back all those crazed lunatics back to the cult should be able to do it. Unfortunately, that’s all I can do.”   
  
Levi rose from his to place his hand reassuringly atop Marco’s shoulder “It’s alright, Marco, thank you for doing everything you can.”

Marco smiled gently before his lip twitched upwards, almost in a snarl, “If you really wanna thank me, get the damn snake away from me.” 

Jean feigned his pain “Ouch. You know she takes offense to that; she likes you and thinks you’re sweet.”

Staring at Jean, Marco addressed Viper “My apologies, darlin’, but your host is awful obnoxious.”   
  
A frustrated pout creased Jean’s lips “Hey! Don’t agree with him! You’re the one who has to point how ‘oh-so delicious’ he looks all the time! You know how annoying that shit is, huh?! You should! You’re in my head!”   
  
At Jean’s internal tangent, Eren patted Marco on the back “Viper is a maneater, but Jean is...well... _ a dick _ . Get him out of his element though and he’ll show you that he’s not all facade. He’s a great guy under the initial prickliness.”

“How do you----

Levi rolled his eyes “They used to fuck for comfort, Marco, or so I was informed.” 

Eren simply shrugged off the annoyance in Levi’s voice  _ “That. _ He can be real sweet, even cuddly, but he’s bossy, brash, too honest, and is, quite unfortunately, charming.” Leaning down to whisper, Eren chuckled “And that bionic eye of yours may lie but your heat signature doesn’t….which all of us can read, including Viper.”

“Fuck,” Marco grumbled “look, he’s clearly attractive but also a bit overbearing, no?”

“Give him a chance,” Eren winked “and things’ll change. I can promise you that much. His sassiness can be….a nice _ blessing." _  The plan for how to tackle specific elements of the ideas boiled down quickly thereafter. When things began to wind down, Jean had finished his argument with Viper over Marco, and Levi had decided to get some work done, Eren dismissed everyone from the office. The coming days were going to be rife with paranoia, but Eren and the others could handle it. Surprisingly, Levi hadn’t much to say about his actions. At least not at that moment he hadn’t. Levi was not a creature of opportunity, suffice it to say that each of his actions were well planned and executed. Every thought of Levi’s was meticulous, so when he decided to have the conversation Eren had been dreading it was in a place that he couldn’t escape from.

On the drive back to Levi’s home, Levi glanced back to Eren “So, did you really think it was wise not to tell me you were going to interrogate my father?”

Eren placed his hand atop Levi’s knee, giving a soft squeeze, “I didn’t want you to be upset before your classes. Your kids would’ve picked up on and analyzed you to death for it. Plus, I know you would’ve been uneasy and on edge if you knew I was going to be alone in the room with the man.”

“You’re right,” Levi stated flatly “I’d have been beyond pissed off. Eren, what you did put you in so much danger. You’ve  _ no _ idea what that man is capable of.”

As he watched Levi’s grip on the steering wheel tighten, Eren sighed “I’m a cybernet, Levi, I can handle whatever he  _ thinks  _ that he can throw at me. In order to protect you I will do what I need to. If that involves getting shot again so be it. You’re in danger every damn day from these people, so I think that I can handle being in it.”

“I hope so,” Levi whispered under his breath. Just the words uttered with a mix of fear and hope struck Eren to the core. The tone itself, that hushed, barely audible whisper, forced a constriction of his chest. Levi was seriously worried about him.   
  
Leaning across the console, Eren pressed a delicate kiss to Levi’s cheek “Thank you for being worried about me.” Had he’d have blinked, Eren would’ve missed the faint smile that curved the edges of his pale lips for a fraction of a second. Satisfied that Levi didn’t look like he was about to reach over and strangle him, Eren sat back to the seat and awaited the end of their drive. With the radio on, subtly playing various genres of music, Eren allowed himself a moment to close his eyes and enjoy the fact that when they got back there wasn’t anything to do. No work existed except to take care of Levi, and he was fairly certain that it was an easy job.

Once they were back at the house, Krista and Jean were sent back to Eren’s apartment. Alone in the house, Levi decided to head upstairs and change out of his suit while Eren went to shower the acrid, musty prison scent off his skin. Yeah, he knew what Levi had told him in the classroom, but he didn’t want to feel the heaviness on his skin from the dust and grime. For Levi’s love of the scent he was wearing, luckily he had a bottle of the same cologne in his room. After his shower he made sure to dart across the hall to grab it before returning to the front room. He wanted to have a little bit of a relaxation period, but it appeared that Levi was already making dinner. Perhaps he couldn’t be too mad at that, but he had a feeling it was so that Eren wouldn’t get to it quicker since he still owed Levi a night where he cooked.    
  
“You could’ve let me do that,” Eren hummed as he approached Levi, dropping his chin to Levi’s shoulder while wrapping around him.   
  
Leaning back into the embrace, Levi clicked his teeth “Tsk, what did I tell you before? I don’t mind, and I have to cook for myself anyway.”   
  
Unable to prevent his sigh, Eren his pressed a kiss to Levi’s throat “Fine, fine, but you’ve still got to let me at some point. I mean, I’m sure I can find  _ other ways _ to show my care….”

At the rough drawl in Eren’s voice, a chill erupted down Levi’s spine “Mhmm, I bet. You can always grab a bottle of wine from the chiller if you want to help.”

“Red or white?” Eren posed softly.   
  
Levi thought for a moment before responding “Dry red, please.” Unwrapping himself, Eren stepped a couple paces over to grab a bottle of wine in the chiller. A nice bottle of cabernet would pair well with their dinner, as Levi figured. Quickly setting to work removing the stubborn cork, and nearly elbowing Levi in the kidney in the process, Eren popped the cork in the bottle and sat it atop the counter to breathe for a bit. Grabbing two wine glasses from the farthest cabinet, Eren placed them nearby and figured that he might as well grab everything else for dinner. Placing plates and their silverware on the counter, Eren finished up when Levi was just finishing up cooking. 

Deciding to enjoy themselves for dinner, they moved to the front room and curled up on the sofa. While he ate, Eren really did have to give it to Levi, he truly was a great cook. If he got to eat Levi’s cooking all the time then he’d probably think about never cooking again. Seemingly picking up on Eren’s thoughts, Levi glanced over with a smile. Regarding him so sweetly nearly stole his breath; he wondered how long things between them would last. Were they even planning on officially starting something? Levi had been adamant about their physical relations, but he wasn’t entirely so sure about the rest of it. When he held Levi’s gaze the overwhelming urge to kiss that smile off his face washed over him. Replacing it with something more interesting would prove fun.   
  
More than the idea of getting Levi’s heart racing, Eren found that he wanted Levi to find comfort in their proximity. Did Levi feel anything else for him aside from limbic lust? Well, he supposed that he’d find out sooner rather than later, but when Levi refused to break their eye contact, part of him was betting on the idea that he did.   
  
“What?” Levi inquired a bit hushed. Watching the peony tint accrue in his cheeks provided a bit of a thrill for Eren. He loved making him flush.   
  
Laying it on a bit thick, Eren reached out for Levi’s cheek and kissed him swiftly “I just thought that you looked like you wanted that. I mean, staring so sweetly, it seemed like you were silently asking. Was I wrong?”

Forcing a huff of air through his nose, Levi sighed “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Knowing that he’d been right, Eren cooed “Aww, c’mon, you can admit it. After the other night you still can’t tell me you wanted a kiss? I told you when I came back you could have whatever you wanted, remember? That means you need to be able to artic---” Being cut off with Levi’s kiss was possibly the best way in the world to get interrupted. Enjoying the taste of Levi, his cooking, and the wine was nice, but he wanted all of it gone until only Levi’s taste remained. Indulging in a kiss that soon grew beyond its initial cut off, Eren tangled his fingers into Levi’s hair to tug him closer. It all would have been fine; deepening their kiss, attempting to kiss one another out of breath, enjoying the time with each other. Life, however, had other plans than to allow their thrills. 

Searing pain began to throb into Eren’s temples, radiating a sharp heat behind his eyes, as the intensity of the pain only increased with the passing seconds. Knowing that sign, Eren did his best to reach up to Rogue through the overriding pain he was causing. Eren’s frustrated scream frightened Levi to the point of his frantic eyes and constant asking if he was alright. Eren couldn’t afford to listen to him as he finally pressed Rogue’s transmission.    
  
**“WHAT?!”** Eren shouted as the pain began to dissipate. “Fuck!”

“Eren! Marco’s been calling you for a half hour! Your mother is in danger! You need to go! Now! I’ll send Jean and Krista over,” Rogue commanded sternly. Had an untrained man heard the directives he’d have stopped in his tracks to plan the next action, but Eren wasn’t trained to be stunned. Immediately bolting off the sofa, Eren darted to the back room to grab two of his pistols, a leather chest holster, and click off the safety before securing them. 

Levi stopped him from going anywhere once he got to the hallway “Eren, what is wrong?! Please, tell me!”

“My mother is in danger,” Eren replied without so much as an inflection “now, move out of my way.” Simply side stepping out of Eren’s bee-line, Levi carefully walked out of the hall leaving Eren to make his way out the door without so much as another word. Levi sensed it then; what made Eren shift into someone else. Maybe he’d not seen it much at the apartment, but it was right then he saw that cold, detached glaze over his normally bright turquoise eyes. To say that it worried him would be an understatement, but Levi knew that his father was undoubtedly behind whatever this was. All he had to now was wait on Eren to return.   
  
Settling into Levi’s car, Eren quickly dialed Marco’s number “Hey, Marco---”

“Where the fuck have you been!?” Marco demanded before retconning. “Look, just come to your mother’s house. We’ll discuss it then.” Ending the call with a click, Eren pushed his foot into the gas pedal and floored it across the city. Getting to the other side of the city took him over a half hour beforehand, but this was no moment to dawdle. Eren’s lead foot caused him to cut the time in half, arriving to his mother’s picturesque 3 bedroom, lake home, in a matter of twenty minutes. Outside the normally quiet neighborhood was a fleet of squad cars, bright canary yellow police tape blocking off the home, and his mother and sister waiting for him at the back of a squad car. 

Parking next to Marco’s car, Eren bolted from his car and immediately over to his mother. Her waist-length mocha hair was tied back to reveal her exhausted expression. Warm caramel eyes met him with sweet regard as she opened her arms. Not wasting a second thought, Eren grabbed her in a tight embrace thankful that she appeared unharmed. Mikasa’s frown didn’t give him the impression everything was fine, but at least Carla Jaeger was without a scratch. 

“Thank god you’re okay, ma,” Eren breathed, utterly relieved.

“Yeah, honey, I’m alright. I can take care of myself,” she smiled broadly. 

Mikasa shook her head “This has something to do with  _ him _ , doesn’t it?”

Understanding the implication, Eren nodded “It is a possibility. Ma, I’m doing some personal security for someone. It is dangerous; please, I know you don’t like the idea of having one in the house but take this.” Removing his left pistol from its holster, he offered out the firearm. “It’s real simple, safety on, safety off.”

Rolling her eyes with a haughty huff, Carla took the weapon from him and pulled the slide back, effectively pulling a bullet in the chamber “I know, Eren, your father made sure I could use one. Took me on a date to a range once. Far before you ever came along.” All Eren could do was laugh a bit and nod. His mother was a pistol herself, one hell of a firecracker, and he didn’t have to wonder where he’d inherited it from. Twisting just in time to see Marco securing the perimeter, Eren decided to flag him over. 

Striding over, Marco grimaced “Fucking hell, Eren, about time you show up! I was calling you forever!”

“Left my phone in the car apparently,” Eren replied “but Rogue found a way to get it through my head.”

Wincing, Marco groaned “Ouch, man, sorry. Look, prelim investigation shows that nothing was taken and no harm was done. It was probably just a kid or something….at least, that’s what I’d like to say….but we got a call a couple minutes ago, Eren, your mother’s place wasn’t the only one that was hit. Are Jean and Krista at your apartment?”

“No, I sent them---to Levi’s….” Eren droned, knowing where Marco’s questions were leading him. “It was a distraction to get into my apartment, wasn’t it?”

Marco nodded “At least, that’s my guess. We’re gonna post an unmarked unit across the street to keep an eye on your mom’s place.”

Scoffing, Mikasa shook her head “No, she’s staying with me until this all over. Eren, I told you he wasn’t going to be easy and to be careful. This is what happens when you think a nice little piece of ass is worth chasing.”

Eye twitching, Marco bit his tongue, but Eren did not “Watch it, Mikasa, you’re far overstepping your bounds right now. You are my sister, but you have absolutely fuck all to do with my love life and my choices. I am more than fucking aware of the dangers I am in. I got shot two days ago, Mikasa! Wonder why I chose not to go to the hospital?  _ You _ . Your overbearing, shit attitude that I’m gonna hurt myself. Newsflash, I’m fine, this is my  _ job _ . I’m going to get hurt, make no doubts about that, I’ve antagonized a cult leader, but I will have the last say. Mark my words I will not come out of this unscathed, but I will be the one to walk out of it.”

Carla immediately connected the flat of her palm to the back of her son’s head “Eren! What the hell do you mean you got shot?! What’s this about a cult?!”

“Long story, ma. A guy I like is the son of a cult leader; said cult leader wants to kill him. I’m protecting him, and I got shot the other day by a cultist. I was fine, but Levi wasn’t. It’s high time I stop playing around,” Eren explained briefly. “Sergeant Bodt here can explain it to you. Marco? Wanna take this one? I’ve gotta go to the apartment now. I’ll fill you all in later, but I’ve got to go.” Kissing his mother’s cheek, Eren smiled “I love you, ma. Please, be careful. Stay with Mikasa for a couple weeks until this blows over. Do not leave alone at night, promise me, ma.”

“I love you, too,” Carla replied “and I do promise. You should be more careful, too. Oh, and bring the damn boy my house got ransacked for sometime.” Eren nodded and offered a hand above his head. She watched Eren promptly get back to the car and drive off after her promise. There was no way this was going away now. Eli Ackerman just made things personal; it was a show of the power he controlled outside the prison. How far the man’s reach extended, Eren didn’t know, but he was willingly to be it was an extensive network. Cults were much like octopi, many limbs wriggling and writhing their way around, latching to and curling around the objects of their desire. At the center of it, Eli was the brain that told the octopi when the object in its tentacles could be eaten by the beak. Just the thought of the fact Eli was placing out his feelers near his family caused his blood to boil. This was personal when he went after Levi, the object of his affection, but to come after his family? He’d just tapdanced on Eren’s last bit of calm.

Back at his apartment he found officers awaiting him on scene. He’d spoken to them, given his statement, and told them to remove the tape. He wasn’t pressing any charges and didn’t want an investigation. Something like that would just cause too much hassle. Just like with his mother’s place, nothing had been taken, but unlike his mother’s place there were mountains of broken glass, papers thrown everywhere, likely lingering dirt and dust, picture frames lying face down, and clothes strewn everywhere. Walking through the apartment, Eren noticed there was one singular photo that was out of place. Glass lay in jagged shards beneath the frame, but there was nothing around it. Amidst all the chaos and nothing was within a foot radius of it? Odd. Too odd.

Lifting the photo of his high school graduation, Eren’s blood pressure skyrocketed. If it was personal before, he didn’t know what to label it as then. Seeing the black sharpie scrawled hastily across the photo, Eren fought back the growl in his throat as he read the message:   
  
“Your soul may be a lost cause, Mr. Jaeger, but your family’s aren’t. Consider this my only warning. Leave my son to me.”

A rush of rage coursed through his veins. Screaming at the top of his range and shattering a nearby lamp in his outburst, Eren waited until he could no longer feel the red hot heat of unbridled ire flowing in his blood. He was going to kill Eli Ackerman. There was nothing else to think then. Playing with his family and Levi were two misdeeds too many. If anyone could cull that man then it was Eren. He’d just given Eren the biggest incentive he needed to break every law he could think of just to be able to get to him. Going through his apartment, Eren grabbed every weapons case, every blade, and every piece of ammunition that he could get his hands on before heading back to Levi’s. Carrying an arsenal in the trunk and backseat would draw some attention but that was the least of things on his mind.

Pulling into the drive, Eren noted that Jean and Krista had made it over alright. Eli’s distraction had worked well, and he was glad that Levi wasn’t left alone. Heavens above only knew what would have happened if he’d left Levi by himself with how meticulous those lunatics were in timing the break in at his mother’s and his place. Someone was watching them, and someone was watching them closely. He didn’t know who or from where, but if he found out, they should hope that he was feeling gracious. 

“Fuck, dude---”Jean began while walking out of the house.

Eren shook his head “Bring ‘em in, Viper, now.” The flat tone reminded Jean of one he knew all too well. As Krista attempted to speak to him, Eren pointed a finger at the door “Help Viper.” As he carried in several cases and placed them into the kitchen, Levi’s concern only increased tenfold. He’d been anxiously awaiting Eren’s return, and he’d not said a word to him yet. Something had flipped a serious switch in him, and Levi wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

With all the weapons inside the house, Jean stopped and addressed Eren “Jaeger, we’ve finished. What’s the deal with all the stock?”

“I’m taking him to see Gunner tomorrow,” Eren answered firmly. “My mother’s home was broken into and my apartment was searched. If you wish to stay knowing what has happened, you’re free to, if you’d rather not I will arrange for your final pay. What are your decisions?”

In unison, Jean and Krista replied “We’re staying.”

Half a smile tugged at Eren’s lips “Understood. You’re relieved for the night. Hit up a close hotel. My apartment will remain under lock and key until I can assess all the damages and information.” Eren began to bring the cases back to his bedroom, yet he still refused to acknowledge Levi. After he listened to what Eren said his anxiety had flown through the roof!

When Eren hadn’t come out for a few moments, Levi stepped outside and grabbed Jean before he could leave “Hey, what’s wrong with Eren? His entire demeanor just went from one side of the scale to the other. You know him best. What’s wrong and how do I fix it?”

Jean glanced down to the hesitant hold on his forearm “He’s assed the threat level and it’s increased. Things have stepped up, and he needs to be ready for anything. He’s in assignment mode; you know he wasn’t just a soldier, Levi. Out of us, Eren was the one making calls that’d run the blood in your veins colder than ice. Each of us had our own units before we came under Eren’s command. After we got our cipher links we were placed with Eren, but when Eren established his link to Rogue he was unstable, volatile, brash, hotheaded, pushed into danger without a second thought. He wasn’t fit for duty, so I took over for a time while he got sorted out. When he came back after more training, I stepped down, and he was the squad leader. Eren knows what the danger is and is on the wire. His training is kicking in….all of ours is. Things are going to be different, but don’t shy away from him when he’s like this: especially not when he like this.”

Nodding at the wealth of information, Levi agreed “I won’t, but it worries me. I don’t know his past like you do, so I don’t know where to step or how lightly.”

“Then ask,” Jean grinned “a mission hasn’t ever been this personal to him, but now it is. This may be the one to unhinge him, Levi, he may let himself go off the deep end.”


End file.
